Blossoming Heroes
by ThePhantomLord
Summary: A meteor shower strikes the Earth, and along with it two babies arrive. Follow Cheryl and Jason Blossom's adventures as they try to adapt their powers to this world, keep it a secret from their friends, and make sure the wrong people don't find out about them. A Riverdale/Supergirl crossover. An AU to Riverdale's Supergirl.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

Sitting in a diner at the counter, Clifford Blossom stirred his drink aimlessly, his mind overflowing with thoughts as he read the newspaper. It had been a week since the break-up, and the pill was just as hard to swallow now as it was back then.

To call it a break up would be quite the understatement. His former wife, Penelope Blossom sought one thing over all: Money. Money brought influence, influence brought power, and power is what makes the world go round in her eyes. So when business went bad for the airline company Clifford worked at and the board of directors thought necessary to cut him out, his job wasn't the only thing he lost.

But it wasn't like Penelope desperately needed his money. Whilst together, the young lady built from the ground up and with his money, her own news agency which quickly became popular. Over the years popularity grew at an increasingly faster rate, until the Blossom name was known throughout Florida as "The Queen of All Media". However, Penelope didn't want a washed-up Ex CEO deteriorating her image, and decided to cut ties with her husband. Having carefully planned out her paperwork with her lawyers before they got married, Clifford didn't have a penny to cry on from the red-headed vixen.

Clifford read the headlines, taking a sip from his coffee. "Queen finds a new King! Penelope Blossom to re-marry!" it read in capital letters as a photo of Penelope lay underneath.

"Didn't waste any time to replace me, I see..." The former husband growled slightly, clenching his fist and wrinkling the papers slightly. He couldn't believe the nerve of that woman.

"Something troubling you, sir?" Clifford heard from in front of him, snapping him of his thoughts as he looked up.

One of the bar's employees, a man in his late twenties with a white apron, pink shirt, a red bow tie and a white serving cap was cleaning the insides an empty milkshake glass. He was looking directly at Clifford, obviously confused.

Clifford shook his head, trying his best to fake a smile.

"No, nothing much. Just trying to get used to the single's life again." Clifford chuckled, although a hint of sadness could be heard in his voice as the waiter quickly understood.

"Ah, I see what you mean." He answered as he placed the glass down and picked up another one. "I know the feelings quite well. Broke up with my girlfriend a few months ago. Took a while to heal from that."

Clifford nodded as he listened to the waiter. He didn't have much else to do, so maybe having a talk with a stranger was just what he needed.

"Yeah. I was with her for almost 12 years. Forgot what the bachelor's life was like." Clifford responded as he looked at his wedding ring. He hadn't taken it off yet; the emotionnal baggage it carried still weighing down on him too much.

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, maybe you should take some alone time for yourself." The waiter told Clifford as he cleaned the glass. "After something like that, I can imagine the confusion you're going through. I'd be destressed too in your position. But that's when you gotta realize all the opportunites that have opened up. A new life, a fresh start..."

Clifford couldn't help but chuckle again as he picked up one of the glasses the waiter just cleaned. "So you're saying don't look at the glass half-empty, but rather half-full?" He asked, presenting the glass as this time it was the waiter's time to laugh.

"Exactly." He smiled before leaning over to Clifford. "Listen, there's a small lake a few miles from here, up north. It's a pretty secluded area so people often go there to let out some steam. Might be a good place to clear your mind a bit." The waiter offered.

Clifford thought it over. Something like could be a good place to let some things off his chest. The young man looked at his hand again, the golden ring resting on his finger.

"You know... I might just do that." Clifford smiled as he finished his coffe in one swing. Taking out his wallet he pulled out enough money to pay for the coffee and newspaper, while also giving the waiter a generous tip. "Thanks." he smiled as he put on his jacked, grabbed his keys and headed out. Before he stepped out the door, Clifford turned around and faced the waiter again. "I never got your name."

"Terry, sir. Terry Tate." The waiter smiled, placing the tip in his pocket.

Clifford smiled back. "Nice meeting you, Terry."

With that, Clifford left the diner. As he stepped out, the cold wind took him by surprise as he clasped his hands together to rub them warm. The winter wind howled, the moon shined bright in the night sky as he ran quickly for his Wrangler. Closing the door as fast as he could, Clifford turned on the ignition, the heating, and set for the lake. It was time to say good-bye.

* * *

It was rather an uneventful drive towards the lake, taking a slow 30 minute drive. Climbing up a small hill which made him glad he had a Wrangler Jeep, Clifford saw the bank of the lake. Just like Terry had said, not a soul was in sight for miles as Clifford parked the car near the water.

Making his way to the lake, the young man brushed his red hair back as he looked around. The trees surrouding the lake made for a good wind shield; there was barely a breeze in this place.

Clifford took his time, gazing upwards to look at the night sky. It was a clear night, not a cloud in sight as the stars shined bright. The moon was more than enough light to see where he was going, as Clifford soon stood on the bank.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm his mind, he gazed upon his ring finger again. The gold shined on his hand, as every emotion describable flooded Clifford. Anger, sadness, dissapointment, resentment... The list went on as he felt like his insides were burning. With haste, Clifford pulled the ring off of his finger, before clenching it in his hand.

"I hope you're happy with yourself, Penelope... Now get out of my life!" Clifford yelled at the top of his lungs as he threw the ring as hard as he could. The ring flew high into the air, before landing deep in the center of the lake. The calm water rippled from it's landing, a slight ploof eminating from it. Clifford took a few deeps breaths to calm himself down. It was over. It was really over.

Spending a few more moments to relax, Clifford decided it was finally time to head home. It was getting late, and the drive home was quite a long one. He didn't need an accident from drowziness.

Clifford turned around and headed back to his vehicule. However, something sparked his interest. Gazing at the ground, he noticed it getting brighter; like the sun was rising. Turning around, the young man looked up only for his eyes to shoot wide with horror. Several streaks of fire illuminated the sky, all headed towards the ground at alarmingly high speed. An explosion echoed on the other side of the bank, followed by another one a few dozen feet behind Clifford.

"Shit, Shit, Shit!" Clifford yelled in panic as he ran as fast as he could into the forest. If the car was hit, he'd be a dead man for sure, so finding a cave or borrow would be his best bet to survive this. Clifford ran, hearing the explosions all around him. The surroundings glowed a bright red from the fire as he never stopped.

Clifford was in such a state of distress that he failed to see what was in front of him. The young man took a step in thin air, not realizing the steep slope beneath him as he stumbled. Rolling down the slope, Clifford tried to protect his head with his arms. But a bump in the back of the neck caused Clifford to end up at the foot of the slope unconscious.

* * *

Clifford graoned, fluttering his eyes open to try and wake up. His head was pounding like a drum, the back of his neck aching from the hit that did him in. Pulling himself up from the dirt he brushed himself off, pulling dead twigs and vegetation from his clothes as he took in his surroundings. Clifford couldn't see much from the forest covering the moonlight, so his vision was limited. However, he spotted something in the distance; a faint silver glow in the trees.

"What the hell?.." Clifford groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing his neck as he marched on. A million questions rattled his mind: where did those meteors come from? Where was he? And why was it glowing silver over there, meteorites don't glow silver.

Making his way through the trees he arrived at the area. A crater had been made from the impact of the meteor, or so Clifford thought. But at the center of the crater wasn't a meteorite: it looked more like a pod. A silver pod, with it's glow dying down.

Gently making his way down the shallow crater Clifford approached the pod. It was intact from the fall, not a scratch on it as he brushed some gravel off it with his hand.

"HUMAN LIFE FORM DETECTED." The pod called out, making Clifford jump back in shock and fall over. The pod opened up, steam evacuating from it's inside and blinding the young man. As it dissipated Clifford gazed at the pod, before getting up and looking inside. What was in there stunned him: children. Not even children, but babies; a boy and a girl. They couldn't have been older than a few days.

"The fuck?..." Clifford looked at the infants. They seemed to be sleeping peacefully, not at all disturbed from the fall. Suddenly, the eye of the pod shined blue, before a woman stood in it's center and looked at Clifford.

"Greetings." The hologram spoke, as Clifford gazed at the woman. "I am Alura of the planet Krypton. I come to you in the hopes that you will answer our call for help. Our planet possesses technology far superior to those of your race, but such power came with a great cost. Our planet is now dying, with no means of escape. My husband and I have sent our children in the hopes that someone can raise them in our place."

Clifford looked down at the children, sleeping peacefully in the pod.

"But I must warn you." The hologram continued. "Under the yellow sun, they will be much different to those of your kind. They will possess supernatural abilities that will change the world as you know it. I plea to you. Please raise them to use their abilities for the betterment of your people."

The image vanished, as Clifford was once again left alone. Or rather, was left with two newborn babies. Taking a few steps back Clifford clutched his head, trying to make sense of the situation. Half an hour ago he was throwing his wedding ring into a lake, and now he was dropped with two babies from outer space, from a hologram straight out of a Star Wars movie, and a mother that is most likely dead as dust. What a day to be alive!

"Calm down, Clifford... Calm down..." Clifford told himself, trying to bring himself to his senses. Small noises broke his thinking as he looked back into the pod. Both children were awake, looking at him as they giggled. One of them, the girl, stretched her arms towards him, an innocent smile on her face.

This sealed the deal for Clifford. Whatever has happened tonight, he couldn't just leave two babies in the middle of the woods. What kind of person would? And if what that woman said was true, they were no ordinary babies. Whether he wanted it or not, they were now his responsibility.

"Well... I always wanted to have kids..." Clifford chuckled at the scene as he took off his jacket. Gently he picked up the two children, placing them in his jacket before wrapping them up and picking them from their pod. Clifford gazed into their eyes, a smile forming on his face as they giggled.

"Well... Welcome to Earth I guess." Clifford smiled, before looking at his surroundings. "Now... let's find our way home..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1:**

 _16 years later..._

"Hmm... A little more to the left, I think." Clifford called out, trying to get a good view of the living room.

Jason Blossom nodded as he went behind the brand new sofa. Brushing his short red hair back, the 16 year old reached down and picked up the whole sofa with no effort, and moved it slightly to the left as Clifford asked. Clifford closed one of his eyes to get a good look of the room, before nodding and giving the OK sign.

"That'll do, son." Clifford smiled as he turned to the ceiling. "Cheryl! Hurry up and get dressed so you can have some breakfast!" He yelled.

"Be right there, dad!" Cheryl Blossom called back as she looked at herself in the mirror. The twin sister of Jason was muttering to herself, not sure of what attire to wear. In a flash, Cheryl sped around her room at inhuman speeds and changed into another pair of clothes, mumbling to herself once again.

"Too much red..." She thought to herself, before changing once more in a split second. "...No... No... No..."

After changing through several different outfits in less than a minute, Cheryl smiled brightly as she found the right attire: a navy blue jacket with a white shirt underneath, and red trousers.

"Perfect!" Cheryl smiled as she rushed out of her room and into the kitchen where Jason was eating his breakfast at the counter.

"What took you?" Jason chuckled as he took a bite out of his cereal. "Eight seconds longer than usual."

"Couldn't find the right top." Cheryl retorted, brushing her long crimson hair back behind her ear as she opened the fridge. "I want to look perfect for the first day back at school."

"Perfect? Who's the next boy in your sights?" Jason laughed with a mouth full. Cheryl smirked as she pulled out a carton of apple juice.

"Who said it was a boy?" She winked at her brother, causing him to cock an eyebrow in confusion as Cheryl just giggled.

"Alright, pack it in, you two." Clifford walked in from the bathroom, buttoning his shirt as he kissed Cheryl on the head while passing by her to make his coffee. "You better hurry up or you'll miss the bus."

"Dad, we can run faster than the bus remember?" Jason smiled as Clifford put the kettle on.

"Yes yes, but that doesn't mean you have to." His father retorted. "Now go on, have your breakfast and get going."

As Clifford just finished preparing his coffee, the doorbell rang.

"Must be Betty." Clifford smiled as he went to open the door. Cheryl hurried, pouring and eating her cereal in less than a few second as Jason hurried to finish his at a similar speed. By the time Clifford was halfway at the door Cheryl and Jason were already in front of it, full to the brim and backpacks ready for school.

"I hate it when they do that..." Clifford sighed and shook his head, before heading back to the kitchen.

Cheryl opened the door, reveiling Betty Cooper. Betty Cooper was a close friend of Cheryl and Jason's, having been together since primary school and were next door neighbors up until the Blossoms moved a few blocks away in an apartment complex. Dressed in a pink top and jeans, Betty smiled at the Blossoms.

"Hey guys." Betty said before looking behind the two of them. "Hello Mr. Blossom!" She called out, as Clifford just waved while sipping his coffee.

"So. You two ready for our first day?" Betty smiled as the twins nodded.

"You bet." Jason smiled as she closed the door behind them. "Will be good to see everyone again."

"Well... Nearly everyone.." Cheryl rolled her eyes as both Betty and Jason knew who she meant, and decided to not add to the subject. Both teenagers said goodbye to Clifford, before joining up with Betty and making their way to the bus stop.

"At least we're halfway done with highschool." Betty smiled trying to lighten the mood. "Only two more years and we'll be done with the place."

"If our grades are good enough." Jason scratched the back of his head. "Cut it a bit close last year."

"Maybe studying rather than watching those stupid baseball matches of yours could help." Cheryl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Hey, that doesn't count! We almost won this time!" Jason shot back as Betty couldn't help but giggle at the scene.

"Key word being "almost" " Betty added, both girls giggling at Jason's expense.

The trio made their way to the bus stop where most of the people waiting there were also a part of their school. Riverdale High was a pretty common high school choice among most students, so often people who attend there already know each other from the previous years. A few exceptions were the new kids, but they happened rarely.

"So Cheryl, finally decided to join the cheerleading squad?" Betty asked as they waited for their bus. "We could really do with another base, and you'd be perfect."

"Ugh, I'd love to, Betty..." Cheryl sighed heavily.

"I can tell there's a "but" coming along..." Betty cocked an eyebrow, a dissapointed look on her face as Cheryl couldn't help but smile at the comment.

"But Jason and I have to help our dad keep the house after school. Practice would take up too much time." Cheryl explained.

That wasn't the real reason Cheryl couldn't join the cheerleading squad, or Jason the football team. With their unique abilities, they would run the risk of reveiling their secret, or even worse hurting someone severely. Their dad had told them many times why they couldn't join, no matter how much they wanted to.

"Aw, come on Cheryl. We really need a new base." Betty pleaded. "With Amy gone to New York, we have no one to replace her. You always went on about how you wanted to join up, now you can."

"Betty..." Cheryl sighed as she saw her friend basically begging her to join. She really wanted to, but her dad was clear on the matter..

"Give me time to think about it, ok?" Cheryl asked with a sigh. Betty's eyes went wide with happiness as she gave out a small cheer, causing the twins to chuckle in unison.

The bus arrived soon afterwards, picking everyone up and heading for Riverdale High. Cheryl, Jason and Betty recognized a lot of people on board, and even people they hang out with at times. It was a quiet ride to the school, before everyone climbed out of the bus.

"Old place hasn't changed much." Jason noted as he waited for Cheryl and Betty to get off the bus.

"Well it's not like it was going to blow up during the holidays." Cheryl remarked as the trio walked towards the main building. Riverdale High was the largest school in the area, with multiple wings and many students attending. As they passed by, they saw all the usual groups: The Jocks, The Gamers, the Beauties... All except one group was accounted for. And they hoped it stayed that way.

"Well well well, if it isn't our favorite twins..." The trio heard someone call out from behind them. A voice that made Cheryl's fists clench almost on reflex.

As Cheryl and Jason turned around, they saw Veronica Lodge walk up to them with her two "friends": Reggie Mantle and Dilton Doiley. Veronica was famous, or rather infamous for being a master manipulator. She's had everyone under her thumb at one point or another either through intimidation, blackmail or other dubious means. Even Betty was one of her victims, being framed for pulling the fire alarm and serving a week's worth of detention because she didn't want to do Veronica's history homework.

But the only people Veronica has never been able to get are the Blossom twins. For some reason or another, they always managed to get past all of her traps. This caused Veronica to despise the red-head duo, and has been a pain in their sides ever since.

Veronica smirked as she stood nose to nose with Cheryl. In her high heels she was slightly taller than the 5"9 red-head, as Reggie and Dilton stood by her sides.

"What do you want, Veronica?" Cheryl stated, trying to hide her irritation as she crossed her arms. She really didn't want to start the year with the "billion dollar princess" in her face.

Veronica put on a face of mock innocence, like she was hurt. "I just wanted to know how your holidays were. Isn't that what friends do?" She stated as Reggie chuckled behind her.

"They were good." Jason stated, trying to keep interaction with Veronica to a minimum as Reggie locked eyes with him, a smug smile on his face.

Veronica smirked as she showed the trio her right hand. A beautiful diamond ring rested on her finger, easily worth a few thousand dollars.

"I just got back yesterday from a trip to the Seychelles with my mom." She stated smugly, flashing the ring in Cheryl's face. "Met such beautiful men over there. One of them offered me this gorgeous ring along with his number."

Cheryl just stood there, her arms crossed hoping that if she let Veronica talk she would run out of steam and just leave.

"Of course you would have been able to see them for yourself, if your father wasn't a complete failure." Veronica smirked, admiring her ring.

This comment made Cheryl visibly grow tense with anger. Jason and Betty both saw Cheryl heat up from the comment, and feared for the worse.

"What was that?" Cheryl asked through her gritted teeth. Veronica smirked even harder; this was the reaction she was waiting for.

"Your dad used to be someone important, but now is nothing more than a washed-up has been." Veronica chuckled, looking at her nails. "Dumped by his wife, fired from his job.. Now he's stuck cutting up logs for my fireplace. Without you two taking care of him, he'd probably be under a bridge asking for a small penny at every passer-by."

Cheryl clenched her fists in anger. She despised Veronica, and she despised when someone bad-mouthed her father. So Veronica bad-mouthing her father wasn't doing anything for her calm. All she wanted to do was knock Veronica's head all the way to California, however Jason placed his hand on her shoulder.

"That's enough, Veronica." Jason stated sternly, causing the brunette to turn her gaze towards him. "School hasn't even started yet, and you're already trying to cause trouble?"

"Trouble?" Veronica chuckled. "I'm only stating what I see. After that if it upsets you, I fail to see how that's my problem."

"Come on, guys... She's not worth it..." Betty said timidly, tugging on Jason's clothes. "Let's just get to class-" The blonde was cut off as Cheryl spoke.

"You know what?" Cheryl called out as everyone had their eyes on her. "I think it's a bit rich coming from you to talk about our parents' shortcomings. I mean didn't you dad dump you and your mom for... a younger model?"

Veronica eyes went wide with anger as she closed the distance between her Cheryl. "Now you listen here-"

Veronica was cut short by Jason who stepped in between her and his sister.

"I think it's time you left." Jason stated with a scowl.

Reggie stepped in front of Veronica to face Jason, the same expression on his face.

"I think it's time you learned to shut your mouth." Reggie growled back. Reggie and Jason were both around the same height with Veronica's friend being slightly taller than the red-head. Reggie looked like he was just about ready to brawl, which Jason needed to avoid otherwise Reggie would most likely break himself on him. Dilton stood behind Veronica, visibly unnerved by all the tension in the air.

"That's enough." They all heard a gruff voice call out. Turning around everyone saw Marmaduke Mason, also known as Moose walking up to the duo with his girlfriend Midge Klump by his side. Moose was a towering speciman standing at a clean 6"5, built like a brick wall with muscle. He was the school's top athlete, and it showed.

Moose split Reggie and Jason up, Jason having to let himself get pushed as the athlete looked down at Reggie. Reggie was certainly strong, but against Moose he knew he wouldn't last a second and backed down. Veronica scoffed as she walked off, glaring at the twins as Dilton and Reggie followed close behind her.

"This isn't over..." Veronica stated with venom in her voice as she marched on.

Jason and Betty both sighed in relief, as Jason looked up to Moose.

"Thanks for that." He smiled as the athlete nodded.

"It's about time someone stood up to those creeps." Midge mentionned as she clung to Moose's arm. "Everything ok, Cheryl?"

"That bitch..." Cheryl growled. "Who does she think she is?..."

"Veronica Lodge? Richest girl in Riverdale? Surely you've heard of her" Jason tried to lighten the mood with a small joke, only to go silent as Cheryl glared daggers into him.

Betty sighed as she watched the scene. They hadn't even set foot in the first day of school that trouble was already brewing. She could tell this was going to be a long year...


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 2:_**

* * *

"WOOOHOOOOO!" Jason cheered his lungs out as he soared through the air. "This is AWESOME!"

Everyone down below had eyes only for him as the young Blossom flew through the sky; no one could believe what they were seeing. There was Jason, someone they had grown up with all their lives now hundreds of feet in the air of his own free will. Loud gasps were made as Jason nearly crashed into the school, only to pull himself up at the last second. Barrel rolls, Inside Loops, Cuban Eights... Jason had complete mastery of his flying and was giving a show most people would pay professional pilots to see. As he landed, the entire school erupted into cheers as Jason was soon swarmed by admirers.

"You're so amazing, Jason!" Midge cooed, clinging to his arm

"You're like a Superman, Jason!" Nancy Woods clung to his other arm, love hearts in her eyes.

Jason bathed in the love from everyone, smiling to his ears as he closed his eyes and reveled in it. Opening them again he saw Betty run up to him, love hearts in her eyes.

"Wake up, Jason!" Betty smiled in front of him. Jason cocked an eyebrow at the bizarre comment. "Wh...Wha?" He asked in confusion.

"Wake up, Mr Blossom!" Betty called out again in front of him, this time sporting a much more elderly voice. And one of... a man? Suddenly everything around Jason went black, as a loud noise deafened him.

* * *

"Mr Blossom!" Mr Flutesnoot called out as he slammed his hand on Jason's desk. The young man nearly jumped out of his skin and panicked while everyone in the class was chuckling quietly. Betty couldn't help but join in as Cheryl just rolled her eyes.

"I trust you would have rested enough during the summer to stay awake on your first day back, Mr Blossom!" Mr Flutesnoot stated severely, glaring down at Jason. The young man scratched the back of his head in confusion as he pulled himself up.

"At least pull yourself up for the first day." Cheryl whispered sharply at her brother.

Jason didn't even turn to face her as the lesson continued. All that flying, the feeling of the breeze on his face.. It all seemed so... real...

Hours seemed to drag on before the bell rang for lunch. Everyone nearly ran out of their seats from the sound of freedom, trampling over Mr Flutesnoot in the stampere. Betty joined up with the twins as Jason looked like he was thinking about something.

"Earth to Jason." Betty smiled as she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "What's with that look on your face?"

"Huh?" Jason looked at Betty. "Oh.. Uh, nothing, it was nothing." The young man shrugged it off. Cheryl cocked an eyebrow at her brother's reaction, but thought nothing more of it. She assumed it was just Jason being Jason.

The trio made their way to the cafeteria, which was already swarmed with students. They noticed a lot of new faces this year with the arrival of all the freshmen, but there were still a lot of recognisable ones as well. Moose from this morning was eating next to Midge, along with his mates from the football team. They noticed Jughead Jones, world famous devourer of burgers eating five servings of food next to some freshmen who couldn't believe their eyes. The teachers all ate in the room above with a bird-eye view of the canteen; the trio could even see Mr Flutesnoot limp to his seat struggling to walk straight. They couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

"Come on, let's find somewhere to eat that isn't overrun." Betty suggested. "You guys packing your food?"

"Yeah. Just some leftovers from last night." Jason said. It took them a small while, but they were finally able to find some seats near the exit to the outside. A few freshmen were also seated at that table, but they didn't care; as long as they could eat in peace they would be happy.

As everyone pulled out their food Jason took an over the top whiff of his meal. "Mmm.. Even leftover, Macaroni Cheese is still the best..." He smiled, pulling out a spoon and ready to dig in. Betty chuckled at his remarks and decided to join him, however Cheryl was having a tougher time focusing on her food. Her head was ringing slightly from all the noise in the cafeteria; for some reason it felt like it was getting louder. Cheryl rubbed her temple slightly, trying to ease her brain. These migraines happened from time to time, they usually pass pretty quickly.

The doors to the outside burst open all of a sudden, shocking everyone around it and causing Cheryl to clutch her head from the noise of the slam as someone ran through. The person who slammed them open was covering her face and could be heard whimpering while she ran as fast as she could, although most Juniors would recognise that raven hair with two blonde bangs anywhere. That was Ginger Lopez, and something seemed to have upset her greatly.

Midge left Moose and ran after Ginger who was heading towards the girl's bathroom; however most people were wondering what could have made her cry like that. That answer was reveiled almost instantly as the doors opened up once again. Veronica walked inside with Reggie and Dilton by her sides, a confident smirk on her face and in her pace. Putting two and two together it was obvious Veronica had something to do with Ginger's state, most likely blackmail. Some wished they could help, but all knew if they tried to interviene they'd just end up in trouble as well... Well, nearly all of them.

"Cheryl no!" Jason called out as he pulled his sister back to her seat. Both teens had similar strength, so it was a struggle from both ends as Cheryl tried to break free.

"I'm not just gonna sit here and watch!.." Cheryl growled, glaring at Veronica as she sat down at her own table with her back-up. The fact she was so casual after putting Ginger in that state made Cheryl sick to her stomach. That woman knew no bounds.

"Yes you are!" Jason said sternly. "You can't just go rushing for trouble! You know what she's like!"

"Jason's right, Cheryl." Betty chimed in. "You two have been able to avoid her for years now. Don't go looking for problems."

Jason was still struggling to hold Cheryl back, but one solid pull brought her close enough for him to whisper in her ear.

"And we have secrets she _can't_ know about..." Jason whispered to her. Cheryl flinched at those words, she knew exactly what Jason was talking about. If Veronica happened to find out about their powers, they'd be outed across the town the minute that followed. Or worse, she'd use it as leverage against the twins; both of them knew she'd revel to have that power over them.

Cheryl knew Jason was right this time, and stopped fighting back. The atmosphere was tense for the rest of the meal.

* * *

The twins decided to walk home that evening; Cheryl needed the fresh air after today's events. They left Betty back at cheerleading practice and paced forward, the mood so tense you could cut it with a knife. Jason wanted to say something, but didn't want to upset his sister further.

"I don't believe this..." Cheryl stated out of the blue, causing Jason to perk up as they walked.

"Don't believe what?" He asked.

"This... All of this..." Cheryl answered. "Veronica's been out there causing hell for whoever she wants for years, we have all this power inside of us, and yet we just sit and watch while she gets away with it everytime."

"I know, Cheryl. But Dad told us why we can't use our abilities publicly." Jason sighed. "If word went out that we can do what we do-"

"-Then our normal lives would be forever thrown out the window, I know." Cheryl interrupted. "But maybe I don't want a "normal" life. Maybe I don't want to just get a job, marry a guy, have kids, a dog and live the rest of my life behind a white picket fence. Maybe I want to make a difference, an impact on life."

Jason sighed. Cheryl has always had this idea that with her abilities she could change the world for the better. Ever since she was a kid she's always wanted to be one of those superheroes they saw in comic books, fighting crime and saving people.

"Real life isn't that simple Cheryl." Jason tried to reason with his sister. "If people find out about our powers, it won't be like in those stories dad used to read us. There won't be parades celebrating your victories. There will more likely be three old men in military uniforms with an army behind them wanting to take you away for testing!"

"How do you know?!" Cheryl shot back. "There's never been anyone like us before! We could lift ten times more weight than the world record when we were 3! We can jog faster than the fastest plane in existence, and that's for a warm-up! No one's ever been like us!"

"Oh come on, Cheryl!" Jason retorted, getting visibly frustrated with his sister. "You know what people are like! When they don't understand, they get scared. And when they get scared, they get violent! If people could find out what we can do, they would go nuts!"

"Tch, you sound just like Dad..." Cheryl grumbled, crossing her arms as the two started traversing a bridge.

"And it's a good thing I do, too!" Jason shot back. "Don't think about just us, think about Dad as well! Imagine what he'd go through if people found out! He wouldn't be able to set foot outside without thousands demanding answers! Or even worse, they could take him away for-WATCH OUT!"

Time seemed to slow down as Jason shouted those words towards his sister. Cheryl was caught off-guard by the scream, that was followed up by the loud screeching of tires. Turning around all she could see was a black car trying to slam it's breaks as hard as it could. Because of the argument, she didn't even notice she was jaywalking.

The driver flipped the wheel to the side, trying to stop the vehicule; but it was too late. The car hit Cheryl straight on, causing her to go flying back with the vehicule. Both her and the car were rammed to the side as the car crashed through the barricade of the bridge, before diving into the water down below. Jason rushed to the other side of the bridge, looking around desperately for any trace of Cheryl or the vehicule.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!" Jason called out, dropping his backpack on the bridge and diving into the water. Looking underwater, he saw Cheryl almost immediately, unscathed as she shook her head to get some of her senses back. Both twins looked at the car: a jet black Rolls Royce that was sinking to the bottom of the river. Cheryl and Jason looked at each other and nodded, before dashing towards the car.

Cheryl was the first to arrive to the car and looked inside: she saw two people. A man in his late 30's, driver of the car dressed in a typical black chauffeur's uniform. A badge on his cap read the initials "P.L".

The other person was a rather peculiar one: a lady, seemingly in her late 30's-early 40's as well with short crimson hair. She was dressed in a beige fur coat, with bright gold necklace and diamond earrings. That was all Cheryl could see from the window, but from the way she was dressed she had to be of the upper-class. Both she and the driver were knocked unconscious from the crash.

Jason joined up with Cheryl. Both of them saw the car was filling up with water rapidly. Not wasting any time Cheryl tried to open the door, but the thing was jammed stuck. No way of opening it normally. Cheryl swam towards the front of the car and rammed her fingers into the roof. The metal dented and crippled under her grip as Cheryl effortlessly pried it open like the car was nothing more than a tin can. Cheryl tore the roof off three-quarters of the way as Jason took over. The seatbelts were jammed as well, so Jason grabbed the buckles in each hand and tore them off simultaneously. With their restreints broken the victims floated slightly, still out of it as Jason grabbed the driver and Cheryl the passenger. With their strength both twins were able to swim out the water in seconds, victims in hands as they swam for the bank.

* * *

"Come on, breathe!" Cheryl grumbled as she kept on with the CPR. Clifford had forced Cheryl and Jason to join up with the firefighters when they were 12 to learn basic first-aid. At the time Cheryl didn't want to go, but now she was thankful she had. Jason was busy with the driver as Cheryl leaned in to listen to a heartbeat. Still nothing.

"Dammit..." Cheryl cursed. They had called the emergencies a few moments ago, but they didn't knowing how long it would take for them to get here. Taking a deep breath, she blew into the woman's mouth, before pumping her chest once more.

"1, 2, 3, 4-" Cheryl counted just like the firefighters had taught her. Suddenly, the woman's eyes shot wide open as she coughed up water, choking from it all. Cheryl sighed in relief. That was too close for comfort...

The lady looked around her, before her eyes landed on Cheryl. The young lady was soaked from head to toe, but it also clicked that she was drenched in water too. Picking herself up with the help of Cheryl she looked around her, trying to remember what had happened: she was on the phone, when there was a loud screech from the tires. The last thing she remembered was ramming through the bridge and falling into the water...

Spluttering noises broke her out of her train of thought as the driver woke up as well, choking on the water. While Jason helped him get accomadated, the lady turned to Cheryl, a confused look on her face.

"Who... Who are you?.." She asked in a very posh accent, a slight frown on her face.

Cheryl looked at the lady, a confused look on her face.. "I-uh..."

Before she could answer, the sounds of sirens blared from the streets catching everyone's attention. An ambulence followed by a police car stopped at the top of the hill, before medical care and policemen stepped out and rushed down the bank.

"Step aside!" The policeman called out as Cheryl and Jason backed off from the victims. The doctors rushed to their aid, while the policeman turned to the twins.

"What happened here?" He asked gruffly.

"I was crossing the bridge when their car arrived out of nowhere. I managed to get out of the way in time, but they skidded across the road and landed into the water." Cheryl explained.

"And you jumped in?" He asked. However, no one had the time to answer as the deputee spoke up.

"Chief!" He called out in shock. "This is Penelope Lodge! The Media Queen!"

"What?!" The chief exclaimed. He couldn't believe it; what was Penelope Lodge, one of if not the most powerful women in the state doing in Riverdale?!"

"Lodge?!" Cheryl joined in with the shock. She had no idea who this woman was, but the surname certainly rang a bell. This was the woman who broke Victoria's family apart?!

The chief turned back to the twins, pointing a finger at them. "You two stay here! I'll need to take you in for questionning." He stated, before turning back to his deputee and helping Penelope. Jason grabbed Cheryl's arm, causing her to turn around.

"We need to get out of here." Jason told his sister sternly.

Cheryl nodded in agreement. Things were too confusing at the moment and happening too fast. She didn't want anything to slip accidentally during questionning. While everyone was too busy dealing with Penelope, Cheryl and Jason managed to sneak away, grabbing their bags and heading back home.

"Miss Lodge, I'm sorry I have to trouble you like this: but I'm going to have to ask you a few questions when you feel up to it." The chief told her politely, even taking his hat off like he was in front of royalty.

"You may ask Francis for any details concerning the accident. I was merely in the back on the phone." Penelope dismissed the policeman with a slight sneer.

"Even so, Mam-" The chief was cut off by his deputee.

"Chief? The kids are gone!" The deputee exclaimed.

"What?!" The chief called out, turning around him with a glare. Those little brats managed to sneak away.

"Raaah... Forget about them. We've got more important matters to deal with." The chief called out angrily to the deputee who saluted in return. All the while Penelope was thinking back the events. Taking into account the bridge's height, the speed they were going at, where those kids were at the time of the crash and the depth of the water... There was no plausible way she should be alive right now... So how were those two kids able to get to her? No matter how she thought it over, it didn't make sense...

Penelope cocked an eyebrow as she thought this over. She was supposed to just past Riverdale quickly to get to Miami faster, but now... Now there was something interesting going on in Riverdale... It had something to do with those kids... And she was going to find out what.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3:

* * *

"Where have you two been?!" Clifford exclaimed in a panic. "You should have been back anhour ago!"

Cheryl and Jason had finally arrived home, still wet from their fall as both of them chuckled nervously. They would have to break the news to their dad sooner or later, so might as well get it over with.

"Well, we decided we wanted to walk home, get some exercise and all that..." Jason started

"...When something happened that we needed to take care of." Cheryl finished rather sheepishly. Clifford crossed his arms, an irritated look on his face as he looked at his children.

"Like what, exactly?" He asked with a frown.

"Uh..." Jason looked around everywhere, trying to buy some time for some kind of miracle to happen. Cheryl on the other hand just sighed.

"I got hit by a car when I tried to cross the bridge, and we both fell into the water." Cheryl admitted.

Clifford's eyes were filled with shock and panic as he rushed over to his daughter. He looked all over her to find any wounds or damage whatsoever on her.

"Oh my god, are you ok?!" Clifford asked, speaking at a million miles per hour. He knew his girl was tougher than most, but he had no idea what her limits were. And being rammed into by a speeding car was new on the list.

"I'm fine dad, really." Cheryl stated. "Honest, there's not a scratch on me."

Clifford sighed in relief, hugging his daughter tight as she returned the gesture.

"Thank god for that..." Clifford smiled as he broke the hug. "But what about the car and it's passengers? Are they ok?"

"Oh yeah, we saved them." Cheryl smiled brightly, although Clifford wasn't smiling quite as bright. He was proud of his children for saving innocent people, but at the same time he was afraid of _how_ they saved them.

"What did you do, exactly?" Clifford asked.

"Well we dived in, saw how many people there were, Cheryl tore the roof off, we each grabbed one-" Jason was inturrupted by his father.

"You did what?!" He asked in shock, looking at his daughter. "You tore the roof off of a car?!"

"I had to! The doors were locked shut and the whole thing was flooding!" Cheryl defended herself. "I thought that if I tore the doors off, it would look even more suspicious! Now they can think the roof scraped against a big rock and came off or something!"

Clifford turned from his kids, running a hand through his hair as he tried to compose him. Cheryl was right, doors don't just come off during car sinkings, especially multiple ones. He just didn't like the thought of people asking too many questions, not after all they've done to keep this a secret. Clifford went to the kitchen to pour himself a drink. It wasn't in his habits, but tonight he needed it.

"And who did you save?" He called out. "Anyone we know?" If it was someone they knew, that would make things even trickier to explain.

"No, no one we knew." Cheryl called out. "Although she is pretty famous. Penelope Lodge. Just like Veroni-"

The sound of glass breaking could be heard from the kitchen as Cheryl and Jason ran towards it. There they saw Clifford, standing in a puddle of whisky and broken shards as white as a sheet, not moving the slightest muscle. It was like he had seen a ghost.

"Did... Did you say Penelope?" He stuttered. Both children looked at each other confused; they had no idea what had gotten into their father.

"Do... Do you know of her?" Jason asked.

"Know of her?.." Clifford started as he stared at his left hand, his gaze landing on his ring finger. "Yeah... I used to know her well..."

Suddenly Clifford marched towards his coat resting on the chair, and picked up the car keys on the counter.

"Come on. I have something to show the both of you." Clifford told his children rather sternly as he walked in between them to the car. Both Cheryl and Jason looked at each other in confusion. They had never seen their father like this before, never this... serious. Not wanting to make him wait both kids made their way to the car, anxiously wondering what was going on.

* * *

The Blossom's Wrangler came to a stop at a lakeside after a long and silent car ride. Clifford turn the motor off and took a deep breath; there was no turning back now.

"Why did you bring us here?" Jason asked looking outside the window. The full moon was rising in the sky as the twins looked all around them. It looked like a nice place for holidays and camping, but not the sort of place they expected after their father's reaction.

"And what does it have to do with you knowing Penelope Lodge?" Cheryl asked. Clifford couldn't help but chuckle at the name.

"Lodge... Yeah, that was the guy she dumped me for..." Clifford shook his head. Cheryl and Jason looked at their father in disbelief.

"Dumped?" Jason asked. "You mean, you were dating Penelope Lodge?"

"Dating?" Clifford smiled. "No, we were married... 12 years... Can't say they were my happiest, but they still happened no matter how much I wish they didn't."

"Penelope and I were childhood sweethearts." Clifford started. "She was the first woman I ever loved. Smart, strong character, and a smile as bright as the night sky... We built our lives together; I became CEO of a major airline company and she went into the news industry. As the years went on, something changed about her... I don't know if it was her job, her surroundings or just her but... nothing seemed to matter to her anymore. Well, nothing besides money. Money, power, influence.. That's what made her empire. Stepping on anyone she could to reach the top a little more, using any underhand means to get her way... All that mattered to her was her image, her wealth, and her authority... I can't remember the last time I saw that smile of hers... Only a smug smirk instead..."

Clifford felt a few tears well up in his eyes; the wounds were still strong from that relationship. Cheryl and Jason both stayed silent. They didn't know what to say, or what they could say.

"One day, the airline company I was working with went through a tough time. Major scandels, loss of profit... Problems just kept on pouring in. So the board of directors decided they needed to cut some staff off; my name got pulled. The second Penelope found out, her laywer was there five minutes later with divorce papers she prepared in advance... I couldn't believe what was happening... In one night I lost my job, my house... and the love of my life..."

"Dad... Why didn't you tell us about this?" Cheryl asked with a saddened expression on her face. Hearing her dad's perils, his life collapsing and everything Penelope did broke her heart. But she was also hurt her dad kept them both in the dark for so long. They deserved to know who their mother was.

"So how did you get custody of us?" Jason asked, venom coating his voice after hearing what Penelope did to his dad. "I'm guessing someone like that wouldn't want to be lumbered with kids."

"That's the main reason I didn't tell you until now." Clifford stated. He turned around, facing his kids with a forced smile. "Penelope isn't your mother."

"What?!' Cheryl exclaimed. How could Penelope not be her mother, her dad was seeing no one else back then!

"Penelope broke up with me a few weeks after I found you both..." Clifford said. Both twins picked up on that unusual choice of words; both wore terrified expressions on their faces.

"What do you mean... "found"?" Jason wanted to know. Clifford opened the door and stepped outside.

"It would be easier if I just showed you. Come on." He told his kids. Clifford made his way to the woods with both twins quickly following suit.

After a small trek through the woods while carefully tredding down a slope, Clifford stopped in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere. Cheryl and Jason looked around: there was nothing here but trees and vegetation, with a big bush in front of them.

"Why have we stopped?" Cheryl asked.

"Because we're here..." Clifford stated solemly. With vigour Clifford started tearing away at the bush much to his kids surprise.

"I made sure... to come back here that night!.. And hide this so no one found it!.." Clifford grunted. Jason grumbled in frustration; his dad was making no sense.

"Find what?!" He called out. Clifford stopped pulling on the branches and turned around to face his children once more.

"This." Clifford stated. Placing his hand in the hole he made, Cheryl and Jason were both taken aback by a sudden whirling noise, like machinery was starting up. The bush started glowing a bright silver as the branches fell apart slowly.

"HUMAN LIFE FORM DETECTED!" A robotic voice exclaimed as the mechanical noises grew louder. Clifford stood perfectly unfazed while Cheryl and Jason couldn't believe what they were seeing. The branches had all fallen to the ground, revealing a smooth, silver oval-shaped pod. A hatch in the pod opened up, letting out a small amount of steam as it did.

Clifford beckoned his children, who were wary as to what was happening. Slowly they approached the pod and looked inside. There were two seperate compartments, and seemed fit to hold a two babies.

"When I was here to say goodbye to Penelope, there was a huge meteor shower that ravaged the county." Clifford explained. "I ran as fast I could to try and escape it, but fell down the slope and knocked my head on a rock. When I came back to my senses... This was here along with the meteors."

Cheryl and Jason's minds were running at a million miles per hour. Cheryl clutched her head, trying to take in everything that her dad was telling her. This couldn't be real, this wasn't happening.

"So you're saying we... came in that... from space?" Jason asked, trembling with fear and confusion as Clifford nodded.

"Yes." He answered simply.

"We're... aliens..." Cheryl stood still, clutching her arms. Everything started making sense. Their powers, the way they were always different from everyone else... No wonder they felt out of place, they weren't even from this world...

Suddenly the pod whirled up again, causing the twins to turn to it once more. The circuler eye at the top of the machine started to shine blue before a hologram appeared. Cheryl and Jason walked up to the hologram, keeping their eyes on the woman in front of them. She was wearing a beautiful blue robe with strange golden symbols on it, as her own red hair cascaded down her shoulders.

"Greetings." The hologram spoke. "I am Alura of the planet Krypton. I come to you in the hopes that you will answer our call for help. Our planet possesses technology far superior to those of your race, but such power came with a great cost. Our planet is now dying, with no means of escape. My husband and I have sent our children in the hopes that someone can raise them in our place. But I must warn you, under the yellow sun, they will be much different to those of your kind. They will possess supernatural abilities that will change the world as you know it. I plea to you. Please raise them to use their abilities for the betterment of your people."

The hologram faded as the machine whirled down. Silence reigned across the forest as the Blossoms all stood still.

"So that was... our mom..." Jason stated slowly, clutching his fists as tears started welling up in his eyes. Clifford lowered his head, trying his best to fight back his own tears.

"Y... Yeah..." Clifford admitted. "After that message, I covered the ship so no one would find it. I meant to move it, but a tow truck is hard to get down here..." He chuckled, trying to find some humour in the situation.

"I can't... even begin to imagine how you two feel right now... Although I can imagine... a lot of things have changed... between us... But I want you to kno-"

"No." Cheryl inturrupted her father. Turning her eyes to Jason the twins nodded in sync, before approaching their father side by side.

"Nothing has changed between us..." Cheryl said with a smile, although tears still rolled down her cheecks. "You raised us, took care of us... I don't care who our biological parents are... You're still our dad."

"And no one is going to change that. No aliens, no spaceship, nothing. We love you, dad." Jason added with a smile.

Clifford was struck with surprise by their responses, before his tears finally broke free. Wrapping an arm around each one of his children he hugged them tight, thanking them over and over again as he cried. Jason and Cheryl joined in, wrapping their own arms around him in a tight hug.

"Too tight! Too tight!" Clifford called out, causing the twins to back off apologetically.

"Sorry! Sorry!" They repeated as all three of them couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Finally the truth was out, and they were still with him. He couldn't have been happier than on this very night.

"We should probably hide the ship better." Jason noted. "Maybe bury it or something." Cheryl nodded as she cracked her fingers, before turning to her dad with a smile.

"Don't worry dad. We'll handle this." She said with a smile as the twins got to work.

* * *

Penelope had finally been released from the Riverdale Hospital ward. Those tests took longer than she would have liked and it was now pitch black outside. Pulling out a cellphone she had bought inside Penelope dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Yes?" A man answered on the other end.

"Hiram? It's Penelope." Penelope said.

"Penelope? Where are you calling from?" Hiram asked.

"Riverdale Hospital. Francis got us into an accident." Penelope responded.

"I hope the car isn't too damaged." Hiram noted. Penelope chuckled at the comment.

"Currently resting at the bottom of a river, my love." Penelope laughed. A sigh could be heard from the other end.

"And I just had a new paintjob done to it..." Hiram groaned. "If it ended up in a river, how did you get out of there so casually?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Penelope told her husband. "Something is happening in Riverdale, and I want to find out what."

"What makes you say that?" Hiram inquired.

"There were two teenagers who saw the accident, and were the saviors to Francis and I. However, I played back the scene in my head; there is no concievable way they could have accomplished what they did normally. I want to find out who those kids are, and how they did what they did." Penelope told Hiram, a smirk on her face.

"Dear, don't you think it would be wise to just leave it alone?" Hiram sighed.

"And leave the biggest news story of my career. My dear Hiram, I thought you knew me better." Penelope laughed pompously. "No; something is happening in Riverdale, those kids are invovled, and I'm going to find out what it is. Those teenagers are the first step."

Hiram could be heard groaning on the other end of the line. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up once more.

"Very well. I know a man who could help us..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4:

* * *

"There, that should be deep enough." Jason remarked as he brushed the dirt off his hands.

Using some shovels Clifford kept in his car for work, he and Cheryl had dug up a 10 ft deep and wide hole in the ground next to the pod. The branches their father used to keep the ship hidden wasn't exactly full-proof, and they couldn't bring it home with them either; it would be difficult to explain to the neighbours. So the three of them decided it would be best to bury it for now, at least until a better solution was found.

Cheryl looked at the state of her clothes and groaned. Between the dive from this afternoon and the mud they were ruined, tattered and torn in places.

"Ugh.. I liked these clothes.." Cheryl grumbled.

"I'll buy you another pair." Clifford told his daughter. This instantly brought a smile to her face as she hugged her dad tight.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed happily while Clifford tried to breathe. Jason laughed at the situation and decided to deal with the ship himself. Getting a grip from underneath he picked up the whole thing with ease, and dropped it into the hole. It fit as snug as a bug in a rug.

"That should do it." Jason smiled as he grabbed his shovel before tossing Cheryl hers. The two used their speed to fill the hole back up in seconds, still very much to Clifford's amazement. No matter how many times he saw it, his children were still just as impressive as the first time he saw their powers.

The hole had been filled as Jason tried to smooth out the earth so no one could tell it was dug up. Cheryl and Clifford covered the hole with branches to make it seem more genuine. When it was all done, the hole looked like no one had ever touched it.

Clifford looked at his watch. Half past eight; there was still time to treat his kids.

"Before we head home, what do you guys think about eating round Pop's tonight? I think with all that's happened you two deserve at least that much." Clifford smiled. Cheryl and Jason's eyes lit up at the mention of Pop's.

"Pop's? We haven't been there in ages!" Cheryl gasped.

"I know! That in itself should be illegal! Come on, let's go!" Jason cheered before dashing to the car as fast as he could, leaving his sister and dad behind in the dust. Clifford sighed and shook his head; that kid was too fast for his own good at times.

"Jason has many virtues... Patience is not one of them." Clifford said before turning to Cheryl. "Shall we?"

"Yeah. We don't want him tearing the car door off from excitement like last time." Cheryl laughed as she wrapped an arm around her dad's waist. Clifford smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as the two made their way back to the car, and towards an impatient Jason.

* * *

A few days had passed since the accident, and the news of it spread across the land like wildfire. Penelope Lodge, the Queen Of Media rescued from a terrible car crash! Headlines, news agencies and every website on the Internet covered this story much to Penelope's dismay. She loved being on the headlines, but not for reasons so vulgar. This was to be expected though, as were the thousands of demands for interviews. She didn't give any though. No, for once she had something else on her mind besides herself... Those kids. She didn't know where they came from, where they lived or even who they were. But she knew that under normal circumstances, they would have never been able to save both her and the driver. So something abnormal must have happened that day. And in true journalistic fashion, she wanted to find out.

Penelope lounged in her favorite leather chair, gazing at the city of Miami from her penthouse suite with a glass of wine in hand. She watched as cars, mere specks on the ground from how high she was passed on by. Thousands upon thousands of people roamed the streets all underneath her. Just where they belonged: underneath her. Chuckling to herself, Penelope took a sip of her drink as the main entrance opened up.

A man dressed in a similar uniform to that of Francis opened the marble doors before stepping aside, letting the one following him to enter. He seemed to be in his later years as he took his hat off his short white hair. Adjusting his glasses and brushing his white moustache with his fingers, the man took off his coat and handed it and his hat to the butler.

"Go put those away, Johnathan." Hiram Lodge told the butler.

"At once, Mr Lodge." The butler bowed in respect before heading to the dresser. As he left Hiram headed to the lounge, and saw his wife resting on her chair. A slight smile escaped his lips as he saw her.

"Busy day, my dear?" Hiram asked as he went to pour himself a glass of brandy.

"I thought I would be allowed to rest after escaping death's clutches, and would be able to do so wihtout any witty remarks." Penelope smirked back as she took another sip. While on the outside the Lodge couple seemed to be the happiest lovers on the planet, when the cameras were away they were as cold as a desert at night. They had never married out of love; it was just a mutual benefit plan to combine their powers. With Penelope reigning supreme over the news, Hiram was able to conduct his construction business, along with a few other businesses without anyone snooping around trying to find anything illegal. And in return, Hiram used his "contacts" to make sure Penelope got the best scoops first. It was a win win situation, and both of them knew it. They were more business partners than lovers in the end.

"I see." Hiram chuckled as he took a sip of his brandy. "And any updates on your little heroes?" He mocked slightly at the still ridiculous story.

"Not at the moment." Penelope grumbled under her breath. She hated it when Hiram played the know it all. The night of the crash Hiram had offered her services of a friend of his. Knowing him, that friend wasn't exactly law-abiding and she didn't want some criminal to be snooping around especially if it could come back to her if discovered. However Penelope was running out of options. She had her boys look over the records, but the poor description Penelope had of them wasn't enough to find who they were. They needed names.

"Now that's a shame..." Hiram pretended to sigh. "Of course, my offer to help you still stands..."

"I would rather my biggest scoop stayed legal, Hiram. I'll have the whole world watching this, the last thing I want is people snooping around my biggest news story because your man slipped up."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of hiring an investigator." Hiram smirked. "No, that would take far too long. You want that story as soon as possible, don't you?"

Penelope cocked an eyebrow at the comment. "Yes.. But what exactly do you have in mind?" She asked her husband.

"Well, you say these two kids acted like heroes. So how about we give them some more... peril for them to interviene in?" Hiram smirked.

"Hiram, you're not seriously suggesting-" Penelope was cut off by her husband.

"-that we send people to attack... Oh, what was the name of that town... Riverdale." Hiram smiled as he drunk his brandy in one go. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. When you want to get a rat out for a trap, you place some cheese no? So if you want to get heroes out of the woodworks..."

"Yes, but there is a difference between a car crashing and armed forces attacking a town!" Penelope countered. She couldn't believe what Hiram was suggesting. It was beyond ridiculous.

"From what you told me, I agree with you: those kids should have never been able to save your life." Hiram noted with a certain indifference at the fact that Penelope was supposed to die that night. "There wasn't enough time, they were too far away, and the car was locked tight. The only way they could have saved you... Is if they were special."

"Special?" Penelope stated with confusion as her husband nodded.

"They had certain abilities. If they do have these abilities, then saving you would have been easy, and they would go after armed forces." Hiram smirked.

"Hiram, are you hearing yourself?" Penelope laughed out loud. "People with "abilities" only exist in those pathetic Netflix shows!"

"Trust me Penelope... In my business, you see a lot of bizarre occurences. And one thing you learn is to never doubt the impossible." Hiram pointed a knowing finger at his wife. Penelope stopped laughing, once again confused. What did he mean by that? Hiram was never a man to joke around, so she had no real reason to doubt him. But he couldn't be serious, could he?

"... Let's say we do use these armed forces..." Penelope started, causing Hiram to already smile. "...How would that help us find out who these kids are?"

"My friend has a very powerful memory." Hiram smiled. "If your mystery kids do appear, or even let their name slip once, they will not leave his mind. And if we combine our three networks, we'll be able to find out _everything_ about them."

Penelope had to admit, Hiram had a point. Combining her research team with theirs could accelerate the process of discovering who these children were. Penelope needed that coverage first, so time was of the essence.

"Very well. How do we get in contact with your... "friend"?" Penelope asked, as Hiram let out a small snicker.

"Leave that... to me."

* * *

On the outskirts of Florida lied a collection of islands called the Florida Keys, and were known for a tropical resort for the rich and wealthy. Food bars, golden beaches, they were known as the American Caribbean for good reason.

But not all the iand was for tourists to explore. Some were owned by the richest of the rich, claiming an entire island for themselves. One such island was so far from the rest of the groupment you could barely see the rest of the Keys from it, which was perfect for it's owner.

Planted on the middle of the island was a pure white mansion stretching across 4 acres of land, complete with swimming pool, a dock for the boats, and even a helicopter pad in the back yard. Every square inch of this house screamed "fortune" from the balcony, to the immense terrace and the 23 different rooms inside.

Inside the office of this gigantic manor was a young lady, roughly in her 20's. She had long black hair tied back in a braid, a pristine black business suit and skirt that showed off her very generous figure, black high heels and glasses that she pushed up. A beauty mark could be seen above her lip on the right side of her face. The young lady was busy filing papers, when the telephone suddenly rang.

"Hello?" The woman asked in a russian accent.

"Hello, I would like to speak to the Baron Lawrence Arlington, please. It is quite urgent." A woman on the other end asked

"I am sorry, but the Baron is very busy tonight. Please call another day." The secretary smiled as she hang up, hearing the words "Do you know who I am?! I am Penelo-" before the click. The young lady sneered as she put the phone down. She hated women like that.

However, the phone rang again as the secretary picked it up. "Hello?" She asked once again.

"Good evening. I would like to speak with Baron Lawrence Peter Henry Albert Nathaniel Thomas Osborn Mark Arlington please." An older man asked. The young lady smirked as she heard those names. This man said the code, which meant it was time for business.

"Very well. Let me pass him on." The secretary asked as she sat up from her chair. Marching towards a bust of a man the young lady pressed a button on the back of it's head. This activated a mechanism in the wall as it opened up to reveal a set of stairways that lead down to dark depths. She pressed on through the darkness as slowly the sounds of screams could be heard along with the smell of burning flesh. The young lady couldn't have been less phased by the odor or pleas for help. She found them amusing, actually.

Opening a large wooden door the secretary saw a man being viciously tortured by 5 much larger men, all wearing identical black suits and hombergs. They looked like they were taken straight out of a 1930's mafia movie with brutish looks, dark glares and no compassion as their victim was tied up and beaten half to death. His body was covered in cuts, blood and burns.

In front of them all was a victorian styled wooden chair with red cushions as a young man sat in it; no older than 20 neither. He was dressed in an impeccable white suit and top hat, with a purple band running across it. A purple tie was wrapped tightly around his neck with a purple hankerchief tucked in his jacket pocket. The young man possessed sea-blue eyes complimenting his blond hair, and was wearing the sickest of grins on his face as he watched the torture go on. A cane rested against his chair, a dazzling green gem adorning it's top as it glowed slightly.

"Sir?" The young lady said as everyone stopped at her words.

"What is it, Iryna? I'm trying to enjoy the show..." The man stated with a groan in his British voice.

"There is someone on the phone for you." Iryna stated as the man rolled his eyes.

"Well tell them Baron Arlington is busy!" He shot back loudly, making everyone but the secretary flinch slightly as he yelled.

"They're not asking for Baron Arlington... They want Phantom." Iryna retored with a smirk. This caused Phantom to spark up as he rubbed his temple.

"Oh... Alright, pass it over. You 4, carry on with our guest. I've had my show for the evening. Make sure he spills the beans before you kill him." Phantom stated casually as the four men nodded. Screams and cries of agony could be heard as Phantom and Iryna went into another room. The young lady handed Phantom the phone.

"Yes, who is it?" He said rather abruptly.

"Hello, old friend." Hiram spoke on the other line causing Phantom to break out in a smile.

"Hiraaaaaam! It's been ages! How are you holding up, you old dog?!" Phantom laughed, his attitude making a 180 as Iryna stood at attention.

"Can't complain. Business has been going well enough." Hiram replied.

"Yeah, thanks to me..." Phantom mumbled under his breath with a laugh. "Anyway, I know you're never here for a friendly little chat. Who do you want kidnapped, tortured, maimed or just plain slaughtered?" He asked casually.

"No, no, no need for any of those." Hiram replied, causing Phantom to cock an eyebrow.

"Oh, so you want me to smuggle something in?" Phantom said.

"No, no need for smuggling either." Hiram noted.

"Then what the bloody hell are you calling me for?!" Phantom yelled out angrily.

"Please remain calm, my friend. I have a different kind of service to ask of you this time." Hiram said calmingly. "Have you ever heard of Riverdale?"

"Can't say I have..." Phantom cocked an eyebrow, resting against a wooden cabinet as he looked at Iryna. "You ever heard of Riverdale?"

"It's a small town 50 miles south west from Miami, sir." Iryna stated knowingly.

"Know-it-all..." Phantom grumbled to himself as Hiram continued.

"We have reason to believe there are bizarre occurences happening in that town. My wife should have died in a car crash at the bottom of a river, but was miraculously saved."

"Aw, that's bad luck, isn't it?" Phantom pouted. "If you ever fancy it, I can finish what the car couldn't." He laughed.

"No no, you don't understand." Hiram retorted. "Someone saved her when it was physically impossible.. They could be... "special"".

Phantom's eyes went wide at the word "special" as a sick grin grew on his face.

"Speacial, ay?" He chuckled. "Now that's interesting... Tell you what. Just because you're a good mate, I'll do it for ya. But after that, you owe me Lodge. And I never forget people who are indebted to me." Suddenly a loud scream was heard from the man as Phantom pointed the phone towards the door. "Case in point." Phantom finished with a laugh.

"I know, Phantom, I know. You're worse than your father was." Hiram couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Phantom winked as he hung up the phone before Hiram could give him any details. Phantom tossed the phone back to Iryna who caught it effortlessly.

"So what now?" She asked.

"Oh, I think we'll go on a field trip." Phantom chuckled as he pulled out a gun from his cabinet. "I hear Riverdale is beautiful this time of year..."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:

* * *

The next week was a particulary tense one for the Blossom family. News of Penelope Lodge, The Queen of Media crashing her car into the river spread like wildfire across the town; and while the conditions of the crash were kept secret by the police, there were rumors of two people having saved her from a watery grave. Cheryl and Jason needed to keep a low profile until the whole thing blew over; they didn't want to give anyone reason to snoop around AND they didn't want to cause attention and run into those officers again.

It was a new Monday as Miss Grundy's math lesson was going at a snail's pace for Jason who was leaning over his desk, mouth agape and eyes twitching from boredom. Suddenly he shot up with a flinch and turned around; Cheryl had prodded him with a small scowl on her face as she pointed at Miss Grundy performing equations.

"Keep up!.." Cheryl stated firmly with a whisper.

"I'm trying!.." Jason shot back with another whisper. "But I can't understand a word she's saying, and neither can anyone else!"

"I know that." Cheryl sighed. "But at least look the part. Dad doesn't need another summon to the principal because of your snoring."

Jason grumbled as he sat straight and crossed his arms with a huff. He tried to read what Grundy was writing on the blackboard, but it was all cryptic to him. How did humanity get to the point where we decided to devide letters?!

"So as you can see..." Miss Grundy explained as she pointed a ruler at the chalkboard. "If y is equal to 4, and z equal to 8, then x has to be?"

Nobody answered, either not understanding or too bored to do so. Miss Grundy sighed when she was inturrupted by someone knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Grundy shouted as the door opened. A elderly black man in a grey suit walked inside. He was completely bold, with small rounded glasses and a small smile on his face. Everyone stood up like they were told to do whenever the principal, Mr Weatherbee came in.

"Pardon the inturruption Geraldine." Weatherbee said as he turned to the class.

"Class! You have a new student today, and I want you to make him feel welcomed. Our school holds pride in the community it makes with our students, and I want it to remain that way."

Weatherbee gave a small "come in" gesture with his hand towards the door as a young man stepped inside. He must have been around 5"11 with bright ginger hair, brown eyes, and was already wearing a purple and yellow jacket that were the colours of the school along with blue jeans and trainers. He was sporting an athletic build with strong shoulders, and had quite a confident look about him. He walked towards Weatherbee, hands in pockets and backpack slung over one of his shoulders.

As soon as Betty saw this young man, she felt something inside of her. A strange sensation, like chest pains but so much more powerful. She could feel herself burning up inside as she looked at him, and could also feel the smile forming across her face. Resting her head in her hands she gazed at the young man, who looked back at her and gave her a small smile. Cheryl looked back and forth between the two before focusing on Betty: You could almost see the love hearts in her eyes.

"Mr Andrews?" Mr Weatherbee snapped both the young man and Betty out of their thoughts. "Would you mind introducing yourself?"

The new student nodded as he turned to the class. "My name is Archie Andrews. I moved here with my uncle after he got a new job in Riverdale."

"Uncle?" A few students could be heard wondering as Mr Weatherbee took over.

"Mr Andrews was a football player back in his old high school, so I hope that Mr Mason will be able to help you if you ever wished to participate." Mr Weatherbee remarked pointing at Moose.

"That explains the jacket." Midge mumbled to her boyfriend. Weatherbee must have wanted to convince him to join by giving him a little welcoming present. He must be good.

"That is all I have to say. Good day Mr. Andrews. Sorry for inturrupting." Mr Weatherbee said as he left the room.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Miss Grundy smiled. "There's a free spot next to Mr. Jones."

Archie nodded and he made his way thorugh the classroom. Many people stared at the new kid, trying to figure what to make of him. Veronica saw him as a good trophy to add to her collection; he was fit, good looking and seemed confident. He'd make the perfect king to the queen of the school. Moose and the others studied him; He could be a good addition to the team and they had a free spot left. Betty was left staring at Archie lovingly, sighing contently as he passed her. The twins didn't have much to think of this new kid; he seemed nice enough but nothing out of the ordinary. The only one who wasn't thinking anything of Archie was Jughead, the boy he was about to sit next to. All he did was scoot over slightly as Archie took his seat.

"Hey." Archie smiled at Jughead.

"Hi." Jughead replied, offering his hand for a shake. "Name's Jughead."

"Why do they call you that?" Archie asked with a chuckle as he took the shake.

"Can't remember. But I like it more than my real name." Jughead chuckled. The two started a little conversation as Cheryl scrunched up a piece of paper quietly into a ball. She tossed it towards Betty, hitting her on the head as she snapped out of her daze. Betty looked all around her in confusion before her eyes landed on Cheryl who was giggling. A blush brighter than a Blossom's hair crept onto Betty's face as she tried to her herself.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard as everyone turned back to the blackboard where Miss Grundy looked angry, her ruler against the table.

"Stop with the chattering and Pay attention!" Grundy yelled. The lesson then became just as boring as it once was.

* * *

"I do not have a crush on the new guy!" Betty almost exclaimed as red as a tomato from both anger and embarassment as Cheryl laughed. The trio were in the in the school courtyard waiting for their next lesson.

"You so do Betty! I recognize that look in your eyes! You liiiiiike him!" Cheryl teased her BFF as Betty placed her head in her hands. If she got any redder she'd probably explode.

"I don't even see how you can like him already, Betty." Jason asked. "You don't even know the guy."

"Never doubt a women's intuition, Jason." Cheryl said knowingly. "If Betty of all people has a crush on someone, they can't be that a of bad person." Cheryl smiled as she wrapped an arm around Betty.

"If you say so." Jason said indifferntly. "I just find it a bit weird."

"It's not weird because I don't have a crush on him!" Betty exclaimed.

"Come on Betty, I know you and I know that look. You can't fool me." Cheryl smiled a toothy grin.

Betty groaned. Cheryl would never let it go, she was too stubborn for that. The blonde let out a heavy sigh.

"...Ok... I may like him. B-But I want to get to know him first!" Betty waved her hands in front of her defensively.

"Of course. And I'll make sure it happens." Cheryl smiled much to Betty's dismay.

"I'll never understand you two." Jason chuckled at the scene.

* * *

Over the next few days the school got used to having Archie Andrews around. Moose helped him sign in for the tryouts and introduced him to the rest of the team, he was able to catch up on the last couple of weeks of schoolwork thanks to Ginger and Midge. Over the course of a few days he became quite popular, having what people described as a "natural charm to attract people".

However, the person he spent the most time with was Jughead Jones weirdly enough. Something seemed to have clicked between the two and they soon became the best of friends already. The only people Archie didn't seem to interact with was Betty, Cheryl and Jason; much to the former's dismay. Archie seemed to have affiliations with everyone but the girl who has a crush as huge as the state on him.

Betty was at the library, trying to get Archie out of her head with some studying. There would be a moment where Betty could talk with Archie, so no point in trying to make it happen. "Just let time take it's course." Was her method of thinking... But not Cheryl's.

"So how's it going with Archie?" Cheryl asked rapidly, scaring Betty out of her thoughts as the redhead laughed silently.

"Cheryl! Don't scare me like that!" Betty scowled. "And nothing's happened. We haven't even spoken yet." She sighed slightly, going back to her books.

"Still? Come on Betty, I thought you had "strong feelings" for him." Cheryl wondered as she took a seat opposite her friend's.

"I do.. But I'm too shy to say anything.." Betty sighed heavier this time.

Cheryl sighed. She had a few boyfriends in her time; when you look as good as Cheryl does, that's bound to happen. Betty looked just as good, but unfortunately she was so shy and closed off it'd be easier to open a clam bare-handed then get her to talk about her feelings. This lead to Betty never having a boyfriend, and not knowing what to do to get one. If Betty was to talk to Archie, Cheryl would have to interviene.

"Listen Betty" Cheryl started. However she was cut off as the school speakers activated.

"A-All students please assemble to the cafeteria. Anyone not present will be expelled. Teachers are to C-confiscate all mobile phones from students along with their own and place them all outside." Weatherbee's voice rang across the school. Cheryl and Betty looked at each other in confusion.

"Expelled? That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Cheryl asked.

"Well I don't want to take any chances. Let's go." Betty hurried to pack her bag as the duo set off.

Once arrived at the cafeteria they saw all the students assembled, chattering away all wondering what was happening. Even the teachers stood at the doors perplexed at the situation as they collected all the mobile phones. Betty and Cheryl gave theirs and entered the area.

"What's going on?" Betty wondered aloud.

"I dunno. Sounds like the Bee wanted to see us urgently." Archie said next to her. Betty almost screeched out of her socks at the sound of his angelic voice as she blushed bright red. Both Archie and Jughead were next to them, with Archie looking directly at the blonde.

"Dunno what he could want, though. He's never been this strict." Jughead mentionned with a shrug.

Cheryl elbowed Betty in the sides gently, whispering "Go on. Talk to him..." However, Betty almost stood petrified; Cheryl rolled her eyes. She'd have to take matters into her own hands.

"I don't think we spoke before." Cheryl smiled, stepping towards Archie. "Name's Cheryl, and this is Betty."

"Betty, huh?" Archie smiled as Betty nodded slowly. "I've heard quite a bit about you two." Cheryl cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"From who?" Cheryl asked.

"From me." All four of them heard a voice that made Cheryl flinch. Veronica walked up to Cheryl with only Dilton this time, a swagger in her steps as she approached the group.

"You don't want to listen to this viper, Archie." Cheryl chuckled at the sight of Veronica. "This snake bites anyone she wants to get rid of; friends and foes alike. You can't trust her."

"Oh, Archie-kin can listen to me." Veronica smirked as she blew a kiss towards Archie. Betty's eyes went wide as her heart sank: Veronica liked him as well?..

"Could you please stop calling me that?" Archie rolled his eyes slightly as Jughead was looking at the food counter. "I didn't believe anything she said, don't worry."

"Oh, but you should always listen to me Archie-kin." Veronica smiled, walking past Cheryl and Betty as she wrapped both her arms around one of his. "After all, I'm _**always**_ right."

Cheryl growled angrily as Betty looked down at her feet. She knew she couldn't compete with Veronica Lodge. Why did this have to happen to her?

"I thought he asked you to stop calling him that?" Cheryl responded gruffly.

"And I thought I told you you're not worthy of talking to me." Veronica shot back.

"You'll find my fist is worthy of knocking you out!" Cheryl barked out, inching closer towards Veronica as Betty grew worried on the side.

"Oh really? You would _**dare**_ hit me?!" Veronica growled as she let go of Archie. Both girls were face to face, one of them not aware the other can lift a firetruck with one hand.

"Girls, Girls, Girls!" Archie tried to inturrupt the fight.

Suddenly, the doors to the cafeteria slammed shut before the sounds of locks could be heard from the other sides. People tried to open them up again, but they were bound tight as people started growing worried. Both Cheryl and Veronica snapped out of their argument wondering what was going on.

There was a nervous silence, lasting only a few seconds. All of a sudden, the front doors of the cafeteria burst open with a loud explosion, sending them flying off as people screamed. A few people were caught in the wind from the explosion and were sent flying a few feet while a couple were knocked out from the flying doors.

Masses of men and women stormed through the door in an orderly fashion. They were all dressed in black suits with matching hombergs, and Tommy guns in their hands as they surrouned the students. Yelling and screaming was all over the place, the armed men demanding that nobody moved a muscle or else they'd shoot as the students begged and screamed.

Cheryl couldn't believe what was happening. Who were these people?! Cheryl desperately looked for her brother in all this mess, she needed his help! But there were way too many people for her to spot him.

Everyone remained still, not moving a single muscle as the armed forces pointed their guns into the crowd. The students could all tell if they made the wrong move, blood would be spilled in the second. Silence reigned across the room. However this silence was soon broken as someone else walked in, with wood hitting the tiled floor of the cafeteria and echoing across the room.

A young man, no older than 20 with blonde hair, blue eyes and a smirk on his face walked in. He was around 5"11, dressed in a pristine white suit and top hat, with a purple tie wrapped snugly around his neck and a matching coloured band around his hat. His cane hit the floor, causing the echo as his hand was firmly on the round emerald. Next to him was a young lady dressed in a tight black business suit revealing her generous curves, and glasses placed on her nose. Surrounding them were two men: one was a mass of muscle, easily 7ft tall and built like a brick wall. He had a scar over his left eye as he had a scowl on his face. The other one was about 5"6 with a smaller build, hispanic origin with a sick grin on his face.

The young man stopped in the middle of the room. He surveyed the room, watching as all the terrified gazes from the students landed upon him. With a smirk, the man tipped his top hat and spoke with a chuckle:

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Class is in session..."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6:

* * *

"Class is in session... Everyone take a seat." The young man said with a bow. Everyone stood perfectly still, not moving a single muscle; all of them terrified due to the army surrounding them. The stranger saw no one was moving and rolled his eyes, before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a revolver. He fired two shots into the ceiling, causing screams to explode across the room.

"I SAID SIT DOWN!" The man roared like a demon, red from anger. No one thought twice as they all rushed to the tables. Cheryl cursed as she had to do the same: there were way too many gunmen and women for her to take out on her own, there was no sign of Jason and she'd be found out. Cheryl sat between Betty and Archie alongside Veronica, Dilton and Jughead.

The young man looked around, pleased as he put his gun back.

"Good." He smiled like a kid. Twirling his cane around he examined the students; they were all looking at him terrified. This made his chuckle.

"Now... First question: Does anyone know who I am?" The man asked as he looked around. No one spoke up as everyone looked at each other unsurely.

"No?" The boss asked. "Ok, maybe that was too hard of a question for you pea-brains, so let me introduce myself properly. I am The Phantom."

A few students gasped with shock, Dilton included as the group turned to him.

"You know of him?" Betty asked.

"Yeah... He's a dangerous crime lord and one of the most wanted men alive. A real psycopath; We're all going to die..." Dilton was on the verge of tears only for Veronica to elbow him in the gut.

"Don't scare Archie!" Veronica growled angrily, before smiling at Archie. Cheryl couldn't believe it; even at a time like this she was obnoxious!

"So... Is no one going to ask why I'm here?" Phantom asked as he looked around. Still no one dared answered him. "No one? No one is wondering what I'm doing here? You're at school, you all should be wanting to learn, discover new things! Don't be afraid to ask!" He exclaimed with a smile.

After a moment of silence one student, a blond kid slowly started to talk. "Wh... What are you doi-"

He was inturrupted as Phantom's biggest man grabbed him by the back of his head by surprise and slammed it as hard as he could against the table. Everyone gasped in shock as he pulled it back up; the kid's nose was broken and pissing with blood as he clutched it, tears streaming down his face. Phantom walked up to the boy, glaring daggers into him.

"Don't you know your manners, you insolent brat?!" Phantom growled. "Raise your hand if you want to ask a question!"

Phantom gave the signal as the colossus of a man let go of him. Phantom turned to the rest of the cafeteria a smile once again adorning his face.

"Anyone else wish to try?" Phantom asked.

Everyone was appauled by what had just happened. The poor kid clutched his bloodied face with all the tissues he could gather quickly drenching them red. Cheryl clenched her fists as she glared at Phantom.

"No? Well, I guess your elders will just have to show you how it's done." Phantom sighed as he snapped his fingers. Two of his men walked inside, dragging a gagged and tied up principal Weatherbee to everyone's surprise. He looked banged up, with a black eye forming and a cut on his forehead.

"Waldo!" Miss Grundy called out in shock as she took a few steps forward before a shot ricochet passed her head, causing her to drop to the ground. The hispanic member of Phantom's army chuckled as he blew the cannon of his gun like a cowboy.

"Thank you Toni" Phantom smirked as he approached Weatherbee. Pulling the gag off he stared Weatherbee down, causing him to whimper as Phantom smirked.

"First off all, congratulations on gathering everyone here. I was afraid I was going to have to go through all the trouble myself, and that could have gotten messy." Phantom chuckled. Suddenly he placed the gun to his forehead and turned to the students.

"Someone ask me what I'm doing here!" Phantom yelled as he cocked his gun. Dozens of hands raised at the same time to save their principal. Phantom pointed his gun to one of them as a student yelled "What do you want?!" Phantom smiled as he paced around while twirling his gun.

"Well you see-" Phantom's gun fired, shooting Weatherbee in the leg. The Principal fell to the ground screaming in pain as some students screamed in horror. Phantom just looked surprised as he stared back and forth between Weatherbee and his smoking pistol.

"Whoops. That one was a misfire." He chuckled. "Sorry 'bout that!" He apologized with a laugh as Iryna rolled her eyes.

"This guy's mad..." Betty whimpered, latching onto Cheryl in fear. Veronica did the same with Archie, and Dilton was doing the same to Veronica until she elbowed him in the nose. Cheryl could only stare in disbelief at this man. Betty was right, he was clearly insane. If he kept on like this, other people would most likely be hurt or even die to him and his goons. Cheryl knew she had to do something... But what?

Cheryl looked around once again, desperately trying to find her brother. If she was going to do anything, she needed him so no one else would get shot. With everyone sitting still it was a lot easier to see across the cafeteria as finally Cheryl spotted her brother; he was on the other side of the cafeteria. Jason noticed Cheryl as well causing them to nod in sync: They needed to do something before anyone else gets hurt. Too bad for their identities, lives were at stake here.

"Betty, let go of me." Cheryl whispered to her. Betty clung on tight, petrified as Cheryl tried to gently get her to let go. "Betty, please let go of me!.."

"Will you two keep it down?! We don't want to get this psycho's attention!" Veronica growled.

"Please, just shut up for once!" Cheryl shot back.

"Excuse me?! Don't tell me to shut up!" Veronica growled back.

"Girls, now's not the time!" Archie tried to interviene.

"Then tell her to shut up!" Cheryl called out as she tried to get Betty off without her noticing Cheryl's strength or hurting her.

"I said don't tell me to shut up!" Veronica called out a bit louder, fuming mad towards Cheryl.

"Veronica, I swear I will... will..." Cheryl's speech slowed down as she felt something like nothing before. She felt... bad.

Cheryl had no idea what was happening; it was like all of a sudden she could feel her strength being drained from her body. Cheryl was growing weaker and weaker, she felt like she was going to be sick. The young red-head could barely sit straight on her bench as she slouched forward, clutching her whole body in pain. She couldn't believe this: not only had she never felt like this before, but she had never felt... bad before. Her and Jason had always been on top physical health, they never even got the slightest scratch on them. So for her to be feeling this terrible was terrifying to her. Betty was also in shock; she had never seen Cheryl like this before.

"Cheryl? What's wrong?" Betty asked, concerned for her best friend. All of a sudden they all heard a cough behind them and turned around. Phantom stood behind them, the jewel on his cane glowing brightly as he had a look of disdain on his face.

"Am I... inturrupting anything?" He asked with a smile. No one dared answer him; they didn't know how he'd react.

"No? Well, seeing as I'm in a kind mood, I'll repeat myself. But pay attention this time or you'll have to serve detention." Phantom chuckled as he walked around the table. After two of his men picked up a student from the other end of the table and threw him away, Phantom sat down in front of six, his eyes focused on Cheryl.

"What's wrong with lil' red?" He asked indifferently.

"We-We don't know.." Archie answered, fear coating his voice. "All of a sudden she just felt terrible. Maybe we should take her to the nurse's office and have her checked out."

"Hmmm... Nah." Phantom chuckled as he leaned over. A loud slap was heard as Phantom slapped Cheryl across the cheek, causing her to ricochet towards Archie.

"Wake up princess!" Phantom chimed as Cheryl held her cheek in utter shock. That... That hurt... How could that have possibly hurt?..

Jason saw the slap from where he was seated as a look of pure anger was on his face. But also the same shock Cheryl had. How did that son of a bitch not break his hand on his sister? And why did Cheryl look so pale? Jason wanted to do something, but it was clear Cheryl had problems and he couldn't do anything alone. Plus he didn't want to share his sister's situation, otherwise they were all done for sure.

"The reason I'm here because my fundings are a little... tight, shall we say." Phantom started explaining to the six of them. "So I thought I'd make a little withdrawl of cash to fund my next business ideas. Now bank heists are soooo over-done to death by small time crooks, and that is too beneath me... No... I like to go with something a bit more fun... Say a kidnapping and ransom demand?"

Phantom's eyes lingered onto Veronica as she clicked what was going on. She still shared her father's name and he was one of the richest people in the state. But Veronica also knew how stingy he was with his money and seeing how easily Hiram threw her and her mom away... Fear coursed through Veronica's mind as the once cocky vixen was now shivering with fright.

"W-Wait!" Veronica begged. "M-My dad! He'll never pay the ransom!"

"You never know until you try! Joel!" Phantom called out and snapped his fingers. The largest of his men came behind Veronica and grabbed her as Phantom got up from the table.

"Veronica!" Archie called out trying to hold Veronica back by her hand. "You can't do this!"

"But I am." Phantom chuckled. "And by the look of it, you want to come as well! Very well, we'll take him. In fact, take all of them. We can always make other people pay up if Plan A fails."

The whole table was soon swarmed by Phantom's men, all pointing their guns at the teenagers. Reluctently Betty, Archie, Dilton, Jughead and Cheryl got up; Cheryl needing help from Betty to walk as they left. Veronica was trying her best to fight back from Joel, but he was way too strong for her to even feel her resistance. The posse of criminals started to leave through the destroyed entrance before Phantom turned around to the school.

"By the way, we've destroyed all the phones in the building along with the ones we took." Phantom called out. "Better to be safe than sorry in case someone gets the bright idea of trying to call the cops. And I swear if I hear one siren on my way out of this dump, I will come back and personally burn all your houses to the ground! With you and your loved ones in them!" Phantom laughed sadistically as he stormed outside.

Multiple black SUV's were parked on the school courtyard with the drivers waiting for their boss' return.

"Stick 'em in the back." Phantom told his men pointing his cane at the hostages. The men nodded and pointed their guns at the group. One by one they got into the van before Veronica was tossed in by Joel. Phantom and Iryna got in the back with them while Tony and Joel climbed in the front with Tony at the wheel. With a skid of the tires the SUV's set off at high speed.

* * *

A few moments after Phantom left no one dared move in case some of his men were still there ready to gun them down. With no sign of anyone else most students stormed outside of the school in a huge panic; only some stayed behind wanting to make sure that the injured were taken care of. The kid who got his nose busted open was being checked on by the nurse while Mr Weatherbee was being taken to the emergencies by the teachers.

Jason used this panic to try and gather some information without anyone growing suspicious. He needed to find his sister and the other hostages before that lunatic killed them all. Jason had no idea why Cheryl was so weak all of a sudden, or how Phantom slapped and hurt her. Something must have been off with that guy and until he found out what he needed to be extra-precautious. This was the first time lives were on the line. He couldn't mess up.

Looking at the courtyard Jason saw the tire tracks from multiple vehicules. That must have been them! Jason looked at where they headed and clenched his fist. It was time to be what Cheryl always wanted to be: it was time to be a hero.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7:**

* * *

Silence reigned inside Phantom's SUV. Cheryl was still as pale and as weak as she was at the cafeteria while Betty helped her sit straight; Archie and Jughead stared around them, both of them looking on edge at the situation; Dilton was trembling like a leaf and sweating profusely, certain they were all going to die; Veronica sat next to him, her once confident smirk replaced by a look of sheer terror. The teens had no idea what was in store for them, but all of them knew it wouldn't be good. Meanwhile Iryna and Phantom sat on the other side of the van, calm as ever. Iryna sat up straight, adjusting her glasses and the jacket of her suit while Phantom hummed a little tune. Every once in a while he would look out the window of the back doors as if on the lookout for something.

"Still nothing... That's the last time I listen to him..." Phantom grumbled.

"Listen to who?" Betty asked. Phantom pulled out his revolver immediately and aimed it at Betty.

"Did I say you could speak?!" Phantom yelled angrily. Betty shook her head vigourously, tears welling up in her eyes. Cheryl clutched her teeth in both pain and anger. She would make this bastard pay for doing this to her friend.

Phantom put his gun back in his jacket pocket and looked at the kids. A frown soon appeared on his face.

"Oh, what's with all the beaten up puppy dog pouts?" He exclaimed. "Think of it like this: not many people can brag they been kidnapped and held for ransom. That'll be a story to tell the kids!.. If you live that long that is."

A shriek from Dilton nearly made Phantom shoot him, and he would have done if Iryna hadn't latched onto his arm with a slight glare over her glasses.

"That would be unwise, sir..." She stated calmly in her russian accent. Phantom looked at her defiantly as the two had a stare-off, before before Phantom sighed and put backhis gun. Everyone looked at each other without saying anything, surprised by how his secretary dissuaded him so easily.

"Fine." Phantom said, raising his hands up with a smile. "How about we play a little game instead? Anyone got suggestions?"

Funnily enough no one but him seemed to be in the playing mood. But given the circumstances it was best to play along.

"How about I spy?" Archie called out, a slight hint of animosity in his voice.

"I spy?! Please, that's a kid's game!" Phantom called out with a huff. "When I was your age I was already playing Russian Roulette."

"Did you win a lot of games?" Jughead asked. Everyone slowly turned their heads towards him, including Iryna, Tony and Joel as they all shared the same look of disbelief.

"...Is he always this stupid?" Phantom asked platonically. All of a sudden the SUV's stopped as Phantom now had a bright smile on his face.

"Ah-ha! We're here!"

* * *

Jason came to a halt as well, around 300 meters away from the SUV's as he hid in the vegetation next to the road. From here he would be able to see everything that was going on without getting spotted. It was tricky to get here without being noticed: Phantom kept on looking out the window every 10 minutes. If it wasn't for his speed Jason didn't know how he would have done all this.

They had stopped at some abandonned factory site that seemed make toys judging from the giant logo at the top of the building. The place seemed to only have one entrance before being blocked off on all sides by vegetation, making it the perfect spot to hide in case the police showed up. This guy was smarter than he looked.

Keeping his head down Jason saw Phantom's men get out of the vehicule. There were less than there were at the school which made sense; a couple of the SUV's left the group about 10 miles away. There were about a couple dozen of them left, all still armed with those Tommy machine guns.

Finally Jason saw Phantom step out with that woman from earlier, along with those two brutes of his. One by one Jason could see the kidnappees step out of the van, surrounded by weapons pointing at them. He spotted Cheryl being helped up by Betty; that illness must still be effecting her and getting worse at the same time. She was growing as pale as a sheet.

Phantom signaled his men, giving them orders Jason couldn't hear from where he was standing. 5 goons nodded as each one grabbed a hostage, his largest man Joel taking Veronica back onto his shoulder. Phantom, Iryna and the hostages went towards the factory, whilst a dozen and a half goons stayed outside to survey the area.

"Shit..." Jason cursed to himself. He couldn't allow himself to get spotted otherwise the captives would be killed on the spot. He needed to be discreet about this. With a few heavy breaths, Jason started to make his way inside.

* * *

"That's it, tie them up nice and tight." Phantom mused as he swung on the swivel chair with Iryna standing next to him.

"Ow!" Veronica cried out in pain as the goon tied her arms up too tight. "That hurt!"

"Oh stop being such a tart." Phantom groaned as he jumped from his chair. Being on the top floor of the building inside the boss' office Phantom had a view of the entire factory floor. His men were patroling the area downstairs causing him to smirk.

"Let's see if they can get past this..." Phantom mused to himself.

"Get past what?" Betty asked. Once again Phantom pointed his gun at her head.

"One more time! Speak one more time, I dare you! I double dare you!" He yelled angrily as Betty shook her head and kept her mouth shut with tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Sir, please refrain from needlessly aiming your pistol." Iryna called out. Once again Phantom groaned and put back his pistol.

"The only gal able to out crazy the boss." Tony chuckled to Joel. Iryna's glare shot towards the two who jumped up in fright, before standing at attention with fear in their eyes. The hostages all looked at each other confused. Why were they all so afraid of the secretary?

However no one had time to wonder about anything as Joel's walkie-talkie sounded off. The man gruffly picked it up and turned it on.

"What is it?" Joel demanded to know.

"Boss! We-We gotta situation out here! Something's taking out the men!" Everyone's heads turned immediately to the walkie-talkie; Phantom marched over and snatched it from his second in command.

"What do you mean "Something is taking out the men?!"" Phantom yelled angrily, making a mocking voice out of his goon's.

"S-Something, we don't know what! It's fast, too fast! All we can see is a blur! Johnny and Marissa are down! Eric's nowhere to be seen and AH-!" The line was cut short on the other end.

Even in her weakened state Cheryl couldn't help but smile. A blur? She knew exactly who that was. "I always knew you would be a hero..." She whispered to herself.

Jason was taking out the men outside the building one after the other, his speed and strength so mighty the thugs didn't even have time to react or see who it was. The sound of gunfire riddled the air as they desperately tried to hit whatever it was attacking them. It didn't scare Jason though. A random bullet managed to hit him in the leg, but all it did was tear a hole in his jean.

"Nice to know I'm bulletproof." Jason smirked as he sped up to the last two guards. Before they even turned around Jason grabbed both of their heads and slammed them together, knocking them both unconscious. With everyone on the outside unconscious all Jason needed to do was clean-up inside, get Phantom away from Cheryl and rescue the hostages. Jason peeked inside the factory and saw on the first floor Phantom boiling with anger at his men.

"Joel! Get all available men outside now! I want this blur to be nothing more than a stain on the floor by the time we're done!" Phantom yelled at the large man. "You three are with me!"

Phantom ran outside and looked at his men who were at the ready for this blur, their guns locked and loaded.

"You and you!" Phantom pointed to two of his men. "Watch over the hostages! One of them try to move, kindly dissuade them by putting a bullet through their brain!"

The two men nodded and stormed up the stairway while Phantom, Iryna, Tony and Joel all joined their men on the ground floor. When they did Cheryl felt strange once more, but not for the same reason as before. No, in fact it was quite the opposite: her strength was coming back to her! Cheryl could feel her powers flowing back into a body; a sensation that she had missed quite a bit. Now she was sure she could snap the binds around her wrists with ease, but getting out of here with the hostages in one piece was another thing. Cheryl would need Jason to get here.

"Everyone keep their ground! Shoot whatever moves!" Phantom called out as he pulled out his revolver. Joel and Tony swung their Tommy guns from their shoulders and loaded them, while Iryna took a gun from a goon and aimed down her sights. Phantom and his men had the place surrounded. No way was anyone getting in or out of here.

Jason saw the army of men waiting for him inside. He could take the goons out easily, but there was still that Phantom; he was a liability. Jason wanted to find another way in and decided the best idea would be to make his own entrance. Running around the factory in less than a second Jason found himself behind it. There were no doors here, but that didn't stop the speed demon. Plunging his hands into the solid steel Jason slowly tore it open as to not attract any attention with the noise. Once a hole big enough to enter was made he stepped inside and looked around. No one had noticed him making a hole in their plan; they were too busy looking at the entryway in front of them..

Sneaking quickly up the stairway Jason peeked inside the room. The gang were still tied up, however Cheryl seemed to be a lot less pale than before and was bursting with energy. So being around Phantom was what did that to her. Jason also saw two guards keeping their sights aimed down at their hostages. It would be easy to take those two out, but the problems were Veronica, Dilton, Jughead Archie and Betty. Jason still wanted to live a normal life; he couldn't let them know.

"Ok Jason... It's now or never..." Jason sighed to himself.

* * *

"What do you think's going on down there?" Jughead asked the others.

"I don't know, but it seems to be helping us." Archie answered as Veronica rested closer to him.

"I hope it does something quick... I'm too beautiful to die..." Veronica whimpered. Cheryl couldn't help but roll her eyes at how pitiful Veronica looked now.

"No one is going to die, Veronica." Cheryl stated, trying to get some confidence back into her friends.

"I wouldn't be so sure if you keep yapping!" The goon called out angrily as he cocked his gun and pointed it at Cheryl. However, before he had a chance to attack a blur of red dashed through the room. By the time anyone understood what had happened the goon had vanished.

"What the?!" The second one panicked. Holding his gun out trembling he swirled around him in a circle, his teeth chattering with fear. Another blur passed by and the second goon had also dissapeared.

Cheryl was the only one who saw the blur perfectly. With her heightened reaction speed she was able to clearly see Jason take the second goon out with a palm to the face. As he passed he had made a signal to Cheryl: a claw motion and looked at Veronica and Archie. Cheryl turned to those two and understood what Jason had meant. It was the only way to get out of this mess with their secret... somewhat intact.

With no effort whatsoever Cheryl snapped out of her bonds before both her and Jason sped across the room before anyone could tell what was happening. The twins each grabbed a neck in their hands, their fingers just below the jaw as they squeezed slightly. With their strength it didn't take long for the hostages to lose consciousness from the pressure points as they all slumped over... all but one.

"Wha... What?!" Betty called out in pure shock. "H-How did you two-"

"There's no time to explain Betty! We'll tell you later!" Cheryl called out as she packed Veronica and Archie over her shoulders. Jason did the same with Dilton and Jughead while Cheryl also picked up Betty on top of Veronica. Once they were set the twins both sped off past Phantom and the Goonies, nearly blowing them away with the speed they were going at.

"Huh? What?! WHAT?!" Phantom called out angrily as he looked back and forth between the office and the entryway. Storming up the stairs he saw that his two men were gone and so were the hostages.

"Where did those morons-" Phantom stopped mid-speech from the slight sound of moaning from below. Looking down the stairs he saw both goons that were on watch duty, holding their heads in pain as they pulled themselves up from the ground. From there Phantom also saw the hole in the wall. The villain clutched his cane even harder, pure anger boiling over him.

"What... Just... Happened?..." He asked aloud.

"Well, judging from the hole in the wall and the guards being knocked out, I'd say the blur-" Tony was quickly silenced as Phantom whacked him in the face with his cane, knocking him down the few stairs he had climbed.

"That was a rhetorical question you idiot!" Phantom growled angrily. A slight chuckle could soon be heard as Iryna applauded slowly to her boss, a smirk on her face.

"Bravo sir. Looks like the plan was a success." She stated calmly. "You proved there are indeed "special people" in Riverdale. Mr Lodge will be pleased."

Phantom let out a small grumble. He had been defeated, yes. But the hostage situation was just a farce. A farce to bring out the "heroes". A slight chuckle also escaped the young man's lips.

"Yeah, you're right." Phantom smiled as he slided down the ramp of the stairs. "Doesn't mean I'm not pissed off they got the best of me. Next time will be different."

Phantom looked at the emerald atop of his cane. The jewel was glowing a beautiful green even brighter than usual as the young man chuckled.

"This is gonna be fun..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8:

* * *

The twins hadn't stopped running since they escaped Phantom's clutches. Deciding to take a shortcut through the forest as to not be seen, the duo re-gained the road just before stopping behind a small café on a motorway stop. Cheryl and Jason each placed everyone on the ground gently, making sure no one got hurt; Archie, Veronica, Jughead and Dilton were still knocked out from earlier, but Betty was wide awake.

"Ok, I feel like I need a few explanations!" Betty called out, her face red with anger as she glared at the twins. "What was that?! Since when can you two do all that?!"

"Weeeell... Since we were born really." Jason started, rubbing the back of his head as he fidgited in place. "Although we weren't as fast then as we are now. We grew just like you did."

"Well apparently we grew differently somehow, because last I checked I can't run that fast! No one can!" Betty shouted back, making Jason flinch. He had never seen her so mad.

"Wait a minute..." Betty thought for a second. "Are you two the ones who saved Penelope Lodge as well?!"

Once again both twins decided to look anywhere but at Betty, fidgeting in place like children who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Oh my god... This is all a dream and I'm going to wake up soon..." Betty muttered to herself. She tried pinching herself, letting out a small yelp as she did so before turning to the twins. This was still happening.

"This isn't a dream Betty." Cheryl tried to calm her friend down. "Please... We can explain..."

"Then start explaining!" Betty yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears started welling up in her eyes from all the emotion that built up from today. "I've been dragged out of my school at gunpoint by a psychopath, nearly got shot twice and now I find out my best friends are... are..."

"Aliens." Jason stated, making both girls turn their looks to him. "We're aliens."

"A-Aliens?" Betty repeated with her eyes wide. She turned her gaze to Cheryl who just nodded.

"Wh-What do you mean "aliens"?" Betty asked. "You mean you're not..."

"Human?" Cheryl finished Betty's question. "No... No we're not. We always knew we were different... We could always do more than anyone else... But we only found out we were aliens not too long ago..."

"Dad told us last week, after we saved Lodge." Jason stepped in. "He showed us the spaceship we landed in and where he picked us up. Once we got there, there was a hologram. One of our mother."

"You mother?" Betty gasped in shock.

"Yeah." Jason continued. "She told us where we were from, why we had to go.. She looked just like Cheryl." Jason wrapped his arms around his sister in a tight hug as Betty just shuffled on the spot nervously. Her mood had made a complete 180, now feeling guilt coursing through her from the previous yelling.

"After that..." Cheryl started again. "Dad raised us.. Taught us how to use our powers without hurting anyone.. And told us never to show them to anybody.. Not even our closest friends.." Cheryl raised her head to look at Betty. Taking a few steps forward she stood in front of her best friend, before taking her friend's hands with her own and looked at Betty straight in the eyes. "Betty, I'm sorry we had to lie to you, but we had no choice. We had to for his sake as well."

"His sake?" Betty asked confused.

"If what we can do got out, not only would our normal lives be over, but people could use Dad to get to us in any way possible." Jason joined the duo, clenching his fists slightly as thoughts of his father being kidnapped, interrogated and even tortured flowed through his mind. "You saw what kind of people are out there today Betty. Imagine what they would do to him, wanting to get us."

Betty thought about it for a moment and soon nodded in agreement; he was right, there were people out there who would do anything to get an ounce of what Jason and Cheryl could do. Everyone who knew about it could become that liability that would throw away their lives for good. But now Betty knew. And she had to make sure to keep this secret only to herself.

"...Ok, I understand. And I'll keep your secret, I promise." Betty stated as the twins smiled. But before they could say anything Betty spoke again. "But from now on no more secrets! We tell each other everything!"

"Promise!" Cheryl smiled brightly. "And to start: admit you have a crush on Archie!"

Betty's face went red as a tomato again as the Blossom twins laughed, only for Jason to hear a groaning sound. Jughead was slowly waking up, moving slightly as he tried to regain consciousness.

"Uh, I hate to break this up. But we might want to drop these guys off at a police station." Jason mentionned, snapping the other two out of the moment. Cheryl looked at the four of them before turning to Betty.

"We best take all of them to the precint." Cheryl said.

"Take all of _us_. You were a kidnappee too, remember?" Betty giggled.

"Oh... yeah..." Cheryl sighed heavily.

* * *

Clifford burst through the door of the Riverdale Police Station, out of breath and in a state of complete panic. His eyes darted around the room and soon landed upon Cheryl and Betty who were waiting in their seats.

"Cheryl!" Clifford called out, causing his daughter to snap her head towards him.

"Dad!" She called back, tears welling up in her eyes as she dashed towards him. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she gave him a huge hug, as did he.

"Oh baby girl, I was so worried about you!" Clifford blurted out, kissing Cheryl on the forehead and hugging her tight. "When I heard what happened.. Oh god, I'm so glad you're safe.."

"I'm ok Dad. I promise, I'm fine..." Cheryl smiled as she hugged her father; Betty couldn't help but smile at the scene. Soon Clifford's eyes landed upon her as well.

"Betty?" Clifford asked intrigued; He hadn't even noticed her at first. "Haven't your parents come for you?"

"Not yet. Our car is in repairs, so my dad is walking here." Betty said as the Blossom's broke the hug.

"If I'd have known, I would have gone pick him up first." Clifford stated with a bit of guilt in his voice.

"Don't worry. The exercise will do him good." Betty giggled slightly, but with a saddened expression on her face as she rubbed her arm. Clifford sighed; this whole experience must have been terrifying for her.

"Well I hope he gets here soon. I'm sorry we can't stay but we have to get home. Jason is all alone and with all that's happened today..." Clifford stated as Betty nodded.

"I understand. Just... stay safe, ok?" Betty asked. Cheryl walked up to Betty and took her in her arms for a hug.

"You too. Message me when you're home, promise?" She asked.

"Promise." Betty smiled. Cheryl broke the hug and joined up with her father as they both left the building to regain their car. The two headed home as Clifford decided to break the silence.

"Jason already told me everything." Clifford started. "On the one hand, I am so proud of you and Jason for saving all of those people all the while keeping your secret."

"Thanks Dad." Cheryl couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"But on the other hand, I've been out of my mind with worry" Clifford continued. "Jason also told me what happened to you at the school. How you looked, in his own words, "like Death woke up on the wrong side of the bed"."

Cheryl's smile soon faded. Why did Jason have to mention that part..

"Cheryl, I want to hear it from you. What happened?" Clifford asked. His daughter sighed heavily as she slumped into her seat.

"I-I don't know." Cheryl said, quite annoyed at the memories. "I was fine one moment, and then the other I felt terrible. It was like something was... draining me of my strength. I could barely stand at one point, pain was just everywhere."

"Do you have any idea of what could have done that?" Clifford asked.

"Actually, I do." Cheryl admitted. "The man who kidnapped us. His cane, it had some sort of weird gem on top."

"What kind of gem?" Clifford asked.

"I dunno. I thought it was an emerald at first, but it was also slightly glowing sometimes." Cheryl said. "Whenever I was near him was when I felt the weakest, and it's only because he left the room that I felt better, and that me and Jason were able to get everyone out of there.

"And apart from that gem, there was nothing special about him?" Clifford asked.

"Well, that and the fact he's a psychopath who shot the principal." Cheryl added. It was at that moment she realized she had no idea what happened after they were kidnapped.

"Dad, what about the school?! Principal Weatherbee, the other students!" Cheryl almost panicked at the thought that something happened while they were gone.

"Well from what I understand, everyone else seems to be in the clear." Clifford told Cheryl, who sighed in relief. "Miss Grundy called the police and they took care of Principal Weatherbee and the wounded. Then they phoned all of the parents to make sure that the students who ran away after the incident were all safe. Police are probably going to go from door to door to collect testimonies, so we're going to have to think up an excuse for Jason."

"I also imagine school is cancelled for a while." Cheyll added as her father nodded.

"Until they can get everything back under control and re-build the school, that seems to be the case. But don't think that means you and Jason are on vacation either. I'll expect extra help from you two around the house." Clifford added with a small chuckle.

"I hope they catch that son of a bitch soon." Cheryl growled. "I swear, if I ever see him again I'll ram that cane right up his-"

"Oy oy oy, wash your mouth with soap young lady! I never taught you to talk like that!" Clifford frowned at his daughter's foul language. Cheryl couldn't help but roll her eyes and snicker.

"Oh really? Cause I remember a few calls with past neighbours that say otherwise." Cheryl giggled.

"They were an exception. Damn dog of theirs always doing it on our doorstep..." Clifford couldn't help but laugh with his daughter. After a small drive the two finally arrived home as Clifford parked the car at the front, but didn't get out straight away.

"Cheryl.. Could you promise me something?" He asked his daughter, who cocked an eyebrow as she sat back down in the car.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Promise me you and Jason won't go looking for this man." Clifford asked. "I know you, and I know you were thinking of looking for him... But after today... I just don't want to lose you, sweety. You and Jason are all I have left in this world."

It was true. Cheryl had planned to go looking for Phantom. After everything he had done, she didn't want to just let him get away with everything. The police didn't know how much they were up against and with their powers they'd be able to help out so much more. But seeing the distraught look on her father's face made Cheryl at the very least think twice about it. She didn't want to leave him all alone either.

"We'll... We'll see where things go, ok?" Cheryl said, forcing a small smile. "Let's take it one step at a time."

Clifford nodded. That was about the best he'd get out of Cheryl; She was always a hot-head.

"And besides, lately it feels like trouble's finding me more than anything." Cheryl joked as the two walked back inside.

* * *

 _Hey everyone. Sorry about the long wait and small chapter. A lot has happened in the background over here and I wasn't able to dedicate enough time to this as I would have liked. I always planned for this to be a small transition chapter, but I didn't mean for it to be so late. Sorry ^^"_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9:

* * *

It had been a week since the incident at Riverdale High took place. The whole town was still on high alert, fear of another attack happening in repercussion of the Phantom's failure. The main target of the kidnapping, Veronica Lodge was kept protected in the vacinity of her house along with her mother, and contact with Mr Lodge was still trying to be made. The police were trying to track down the Phantom, but no leads to him or his men were found yet; even with the amount of witness testimonies given by the students and teachers who were at the scene. School was suspended until further notice, giving everyone time to un-compress from the situation.

Betty, Cheryl and Jason had met up at Chok'lit Shoppe diner for the first time since that day; Betty's parents too afraid to let her out of the house before she managed to convince them. The manager, Pop Tate was a long time friend of the Blossoms, so Cheryl and Jason often met up there with their friends. The trio were drinking their favorite milkshakes, listening to the light jazz playing from the jukebox.

Betty drank some of her chocolate/vanilla milkshake through her straw, a smile on her face as she wiped some shake from her lips before turning to the twins.

"So." Betty started, before leaning in slightly. "You never told me just what you two could do." She smiled. Cheryl couldn't help but shake her head with a smile; she was waiting for this.

"Well, it's not like me to brag..." Cheryl started, only to elbow Jason in the side for his misplaced snickering. "But we can do a lot. For example, we were able to lift the family car overhead by the time we were 7." Cheryl said, rather proud as Betty's jaw hung loose.

"You're kidding!" Betty exclaimed. Jason shook his head, a smile on his own face.

"We probably could have lifted it before 7, but neither of us really got that good of a grip." Jason said. "Cheryl tried to lift it once, but it slipped from her hands and tipped to the side! Dad was out of his mind with worry!" He added with a laugh as Cheryl blushed a red hotter than her hair. Betty joined in with Jason much to Cheryl's dismay.

"I-I was 5 back then! I wasn't able to get a good grip, leave me along!" Cheryl defended herself. "Besides, it's no worse than the time our car burst a wheel on the motorway and you ran for help. You set off every radar you came across, and probably cost hundreds to the people just casually driving by!" Cheryl shot back, this time causing Jason to grow embarassed at the memory.

"I-I thought the flashes meant I was doing good back then..." Jason scratched the back of his head as Betty laughed once again.

"That's so adorable!" Betty smiled. "I can only imagine what it must have been like for your dad. He must have had his hands tied up with both of you."

"We weren't easy as kids, I think we can at least admit that much." Jason smiled as he wrapped an arm around Cheryl in a hug. "But then again, which kid is?"

"True." Betty smiled, taking another sip of her drink. "You guys will have to give me a proper demonstration one day."

"Sure, we can do that. We have a lot of time off with school being down." Cheryl said. "One day we can go to the forest to do it. We'll be all alone over there."

"It's a date then." Betty giggled. The bell of the door rang as the trio turned to see who it was. Archie and Jughead had just walked inside, the former looking around as Jughead went straight to the counter to order some food. Cheryl smiled and waved at Archie who decided to join them.

"Hey guys." Archie said. Betty sunk into her seat trying to hide her blush. "Mind if we join you?"

"Nooo, not at all." Cheryl smirked, winking at Betty who was most likely grumbling something not PG towards her best friend. Betty moved over to the far end of the table as Archie sat next to her.

"How've you been since the attack?" Archie asked Betty and Cheryl.

"Still a bit shook, but I'll survive." Betty answered, trying her best to feel more comfortable around Archie.

"Same." Cheryl said. "Any updates on what's happening?"

"Well they found the old factory we were in, but from what the newspapers say nothing to lead back to the maniac." Archie said. "Other than that, nothing much. Police are still looking for him, his men, or anyone that was involved."

"Still can't believe someone would attack the school like that." Betty sighed.

"Well at least no one was killed." Jason tried to reassure Betty. "Weatherbee will take a while before coming back though, so I'm guessing Grundy will step up."

"Great. That really makes me want to go back to school." Cheryl groaned.

Jughead made his way to the gang's table with a plate filled to the brim with food. A triple burger deluxe, chips nearly falling out of the plate with a salad and 5 different kinds of sauces. He sat next to Archie and started digging in as everyone but Archie just stared at him. Jughead looked up from his plate as his eyes met with everyone else's.

"What?" He asked casually as he chomped down on one of the burgers.

"We had heard rumors of your eating habits, Jughead. But I never believed them... Until now." Cheryl stated with a chuckle of disbelief.

"If you think that's a lot of food, you should see him when he's skipped breakfast." Archie laughed as he patted Jughead on the back. Suddenly he turned his gaze to Betty, who was startled by the sudden movement and blushed.

"What are you having?" Archie asked with a smile, ignoring the red across Betty's face.

"Um.. A chocolate/vanilla milkshake." Betty answered.

"Looks nice. Mind if I try some?" Archie asked with a smile. Betty's eyes locked on to Cheryl who mouthed the words "Yes." with a discreet thumbs up.

"Uh.. Sure." Betty said timidly. Archie pulled one of the straws from the small basket set on the table and sipped some of Betty's milkshake.

"Mmm... That's nice. I might just have one." Archie told himself before his eyes locked on to Betty's. "Fancy another one? I'm buying." He asked with a charming grin.

"Y-Yeah. I'd love one." Betty chimed.

"Alright, let's go. We'll be back soon." Archie told the others as he took Betty's hand and asked Jughead to get out of the way. Betty's face grew a new shade of red as she was taken away by Archie towards the counter. Cheryl couldn't help but smirk at the scene and fistbump her brother, while Jughead looked confused.

"What's up with Betty?" He asked the twins.

"Nothing you'd be able to understand, Jughead." Cheryl giggled. Jughead just shrugged his shoulders and continued to chomp down on some more of his chips.

* * *

"Have a nice evening, Mrs Lodge." Her secretary smiled. Penelope acknowledged her with a small tilt of her head before entering the elevator of the 50th floor. Her media empire; Penelope Co. was one of the tallest buildings in Miami, second only to where the Lodge's resided. It had been a long day for The Media Queen: a lot of strings were pulled, a lot of scoops were made and a lot of scandels were spoken about. Anything that can print her more papers and bring more views on the television. One of the most popular stories as of late was the attack at Riverdale High: of course Penelope knew more about the attack than anyone, but it was safe to keep her lips sealed on the matter. Besides, she was hitting two birds with one stone on this deal, she wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

The doorman of her building let The Media Queen leave as her car was parked outside: a black mercedes with tinted windows so the commoners didn't stare at her. The driver of the car opened the back door of the vehicule as Penelope climbed inside.

"Take us home. I wish to rest easy tonight." Penelope told the driver as he started the ignition. The car drove off from Penelope Co. into the streets of Miami. Penelope's mind drifted away from the heavy's day of work, but after a few minutes she started to notice something: the driver was going the complete opposite way.

"Excuse me, but have you grown blind in my absence?" She asked rather irritated. "My home is the other way."

"Apologies, Mrs Lodge." A hispanic accent spoke, causing Penelope's eyes to grow wide with shock. The driver turned around, revealing a face unrecognisable to Penelope but with a sick grin on his face. "You have one last meeting for the day!"

Penelope heard the doors to the car lock as the window seperating her and the driver closed shut. Penelope panicked as she banged her hands against the windows, desperately tried to open the doors and called out for help to anyone who could possibly hear her. It was all in vain as the driver whistled a casual tune.

"There he is.." The driver smirked as he parked next to two figures in one of the calmer alleyways of Miami; a woman in a tight fitting secretary suit with glasses, and a man in a turquoise suit and Top hat. The door unlocked as the man opened it. Penelope tried to dash out of it as fast as she could, but the woman placed a signle hand on her chest and pushed her back. Penelope was sent flying to the other end of the car, slamming her back against the door as she grunted in pain. The two figures entered the car, sitting next to one another as the car took off once more.

"Miss Lodge, I presume?" The man asked, a smirk on his face as he looked down at Penelope.

"Wh-Who are you people?! What do you want?!" Penelope demanded to know. The man chuckled slightly at her reaction as the woman next to him smirked slightly, adjusting her glasses as she did.

"I am the man you and your husband hired, my dear. I am the Phantom, and this is Iryna, my assisstant." The man smirked. Penelope had a face of pure shock: This was Phantom? Slowly she pulled herself from the car floor and sat in front of Phantom and his partner, adjusting her business suit and hair as she tried to regain her composure.

"I see." Penelope stated stoically. "Apologies for not recognising you. But I assumed we were dealing with someone... older."

"Ah yes, I get that a lot." Phantom chuckled. "Most of them end up six feet under, but I'll make an exception for today seeing as you're Lodge's wife." Phantom smiled. Penelope noticed him placing his hand on top of Iryna's clenched fist, as if he was trying to calm her.

"Either way, you certainly made a show while you were on your mission. The entire state is talking about your attack on Riverdale High." Penelope told Phantom.

"Good. I like to hear about me when I turn on the telly." Phantom chuckled to himself. "And besides, the mission was a complete success in the end." He stated with a smirk. Penelope suddenly seemed a lot more intrigued as she eyed the young man.

"You mean..." Penelope started, only for Iryna to nod.

"You are correct, Miss Lodge." She stated in her russian accent. "There are indeed strange happenings in Riverdale. Our men came across them firsthand. They described it as a blur, but no further details on who or what it was."

"I knew it." Penelope mumbled to herself. She was right, there were strange things happening in that town. Now it was up to her to get to the bottom of this. Penelope felt the car come to a halt; this was most likely Phantom's stop.

"Thank you for your services, Mr Phantom." Penelope told the young man. "You may deal with my husband when it comes to payment. Now kindly tell your man to take me ho-"

Penelope was cut off as Phantom dashed to her side and covered her mouth with his hand, making a shushing noise as he grinned.

"Non, non, non ma chère mademoiselle." He whispered into her ear. "You don't honestly think I'd stay on the sidelines after all this, did you? I want to know what's going on in that little speck of a town as much as you do. And I know just the person who will be able to help... But first."

The back door suddenly opened yet again as Hiram Lodge slowly entered, unnerved by the situation as he sat next to his wife while Phantom sat back down in his own seat.

"Hello Penelope. Phantom... Iryna." His words dragged on for the last name as Iryna and Hiram stared at each other. Iryna held a look of pure disgust behind her glasses, only for Phantom to rest a hand on her shoulder and shake his head.

"Now now, Iryna. We are all friends here." Phantom smiled as he shook Hiram's hand. "I suppose you know where we're going."

"My boy, I have been in this game longer than you have been walking on your own two feet." Hiram stated with a smirk. "Though you could have just asked me over the phone to join you. No need for your men to escort me."

"I didn't think the wife would be quite as complient as you, Lodge." Phantom chuckled. "And you know I love to make sure things go as planned."

"I would prefer it if you two didn't keep me in the dark." Penelope stated with her arms folded, irritation coating her voice. "Where do you intend on taking us."

"A small project my father and Lodge started many years ago." Phantom explained. "A place that will allow us to determine this... "blur" of Riverdale and help us understand, capture, or execute it depending on the necessity."

"And this place would be?" Penelope asked her husband, who just snickered and adjusted his glasses.

"Project CADMUS". Was his simple answer.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10:

* * *

"Hiram, I thought you and your... friend were taking us somewhere important. Not to the middle of nowhere." Penelope snarked at her husband with her arms crossed. Penelope, Hiram, Phantom and Iryna were all marching through The Everglades of Florida, miles from any town, city or road. Phantom's man stayed with the car while the other four carried on walking.

"All in due time, my dear." Hiram told his wife. After a few minutes they arrived at a small wooden hut. It seemed to be kept in a decent enough shape with a few lightbulbs dangling from the ceiling to keep the front lit.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Penelope stated, unimpressed.

"Come now, Miss Lodge. You have been married with Hiram for all this time, you should know never judge by appearances." Iryna smirked, causing Penelope to simply scoff at her words.

Hiram approached the door and knocked. The door opened however Penelope quickly noticed no one was on the other side. She said nothing, but her cocked eyebrow showed she was intrigued: why were they in this abandonned hut in the first place?

"Come." Hiram stated as he walked inside. Phantom stepped to the side of the door and bowed at Penelope.

"Ladies first." He smirked. Penelope scoffed once more as she stepped inside, followed soon by Phantom and Iryna.

Penelope looked around inside the house: it seemed like a simple home for simple people; nothing she would ever consider a house for herself. But that wasn't what intrigued her the most. What intrigued her the most was Hiram making his way to the fireplace. The businessman looked at the mantlepiece while Phantom and Iryna stepped on either side of Penelope.

"This is the fun part." Phantom whispered in her ear with a chuckle. Hiram finally pressed a button underneath the marble; machinery started whirling to life, startling Penelope as the mantlepiece shook. It slowly spinned on itself in a circle, and what took it's place were two steel doors as they slid open to reveal a lift. Hiram stepped inside as Iryna pushed Penelope slightly towards him. The four were inside as the doors closed shut and the lift went down.

"What is all this, Hiram?" Penelope asked, surprised by where all of this was leading.

"You will see soon enough, my dear." Hiram smirked behind his moustache. Soon enough the lift stopped, and the doors opened. On the other side was a woman, seemingly in her late 20's dressed in a formal black business suit and skirt. Her dark hair was tied up in a bun behind her head. Her arms was crossed over her chest as she stood in front of everyone, her eyes emotionless.

"Mr Lodge." The woman spoke towards Hiram.

"Amanda Waller." Hiram responded with a smile. "It's always a pleasure."

Amanda's gaze locked onto Iryna and Phantom, shooting daggers into the duo.

"The same can't be said for everyone." She responded coldly. Her eyes then fixed themselves onto Penelope; Amanda took a few steps and offered her hand for a shake.

"Amanda Waller. Director of Project CADMUS." Amanda stated formally, giving a firm handshake to Penelope that made the latter wince from the grip. "Mr Lodge has informed me it is time you knew about our operation. All of you follow me."

Amanda set march down the corridor, followed soon by Penelope, Hiram, Phantom and Iryna. Sliding a card in a security slot another set of doors opened, revealing something unbelievable to Penelope; An entire facility lay underground. Hundreds upon hundreds of cells were stacked in rows one after the other, filling up what seemed to be five floors worth of cages; it was like a fortified prison. Some cells were empty, but others were inhabited by individuals wearing orange overalls. Penelope noticed scientists analysing these people, taking notes and watching them attentively.

"This way, Mrs Lodge." Amanda snapped Penelope out of her train of thought as the group made their way.

"Project CADMUS was founded 15 years ago after the meteor shower that befell Florida." Amanda started explaining. "Excavation began immediately by Mr Lodge and Phantom to collect all of the meteorites before the gouvernment could interviene."

"Back then Dad just wanted to sell the rocks. Meteorites always fetch for a good price." Phantom added with a smile.

"But there was something different about these meteorites, am I correct?" Penelope asked as Hiram nodded.

"I had them analysed by a good friend of mine, Dr. Cervan." Hiram responded. "It didn't for him to discover that the meteorites that fell were no ordinary rocks, but rather crystals that originated from another planet. Supposedly one that exploded, propelling them towards Earth."

"Fascinating." Penelope said.

"Dr Cervan then began experimenting on the crystals, and discovered they radiated a certain form of energy." Amanda continued her explanation. "We have yet to discover the origin of this energy, but we have been successful in it's manipulation. They possess the ability to alter the DNA of a human being, allowing them to garner new abilities."

Penelope's head snapped towards Amanda as she heard those words. "A-abilities?" She asked once again.

"Perhaps she needs a demonstration?" Phantom smiled as Amanda nodded. She lead the group to one of the testing chambers. Behind the glass they could all see a young lady standing in the middle of the room, her skin blue and her hair as white as snow. She held a cocky attitude, hands on her hips as she seemed to be waiting for something. Penelope noticed the collar around the test subject's neck: black with glowing orange lights on it.

"Test subject E-43. Ready the test." A scientist called out.

Hatches in the walls opened up as projectiles were shot out towards the woman. Penelope thought she was about to be pulverised into the wall, but the test subject wasn't scared in the slightest. Instead, she raised her arms towards the weapons; solid ice fired from her hands hitting the projectile head on as it froze and fell on the ground shattering to pieces. This carried on for a few moments as Penelope couldn't believe her eyes.

"E-43's ice manipulation seems to have improved." The scientist made note. "She seems to be able to make a solid wall out of the matter now, allowing her defense as well as offense."

"So what do you think dear?" Hiram asked Penelope with a smile.

"Hiram, this is amazing." Penelope stated in awe. "But I have so many questions... How were you able to do all this?"

"Florida is known to have immense underground caverns and natural hallways." Hiram started explaining. "The Indians used it to keep cool during the hot summers. We just acquired one of them far from the public view, and started construction. It was all rather easy: I provided funding, Phantom's father the manpower and Dr. Cervan was the brain of the center."

"And where are Dr. Cervan and Phantom's father now?" Penelope asked.

"Both dead." Phantom called out casually, causing Penelope to turn to him. "Dad died from food poisoning, and Dr. Cervax's contract had... expired, shall we say."

"I really wish you would have left the good doctor live, Phantom." Hiram sighed heavily. "He was one of the greatest minds of the 21st century. And you didn't need to kill him."

"Ah, but I wanted to kill him." Phantom grinned.

"What did he do?" Penelope asked him.

"It's more what he didn't do." Phantom stated. His eyes turned to Iryna who smirked back at him. "He wouldn't let Iryna go. So I decided to step in and do it myself."

"Iryna?!" Penelope called out as she turned to Phantom's secretary. "You mean she is one of them?!"

"Our very first one, as a matter of fact." Hiram stated. Before he could continue however everyone heard screaming from below. The woman from earlier was shooting ice everywhere, killing scientists and soldiers who were sent to collect her.

"She was supposed to be knocked out from the shock!" One of the scientists yelled. Hiram looked at the subject clearly. Her eyes were pale white which made Hiram sigh.

"She's gone rogue." He stated to the others.

"Rogue?!" Penelope asked as she watched the slaughter.

"Sometimes the DNA doesn't accept the modifications well, and the system attacks itself." Amanda told her. "It makes the test subject enter a rage."

Amanda turned to one of the scientists at the computer. "Activate the deadlock collar!" Amanda ordered, however Phantom raised his hand with a sly grin.

"Actually... why don't we have Iryna take care of this? Saves you from having to scrape the blood off the walls." Phantom smirked as he turned to Iryna. His secretary returned the smirk and nodded as she made her way downstairs to face the rogue test subject. Everyone paid close attention, especially Penelope as Iryna entered the chamber.

Subject E-43 turned to Iryna, her eyes blank white as she snarled at the Russian. "Who the fuck are you?!" She growled, her voice echoing as she spoke.

Iryna didn't answer as she just took off her jacket, revealing her generous curves that made both Penelope and Amanda rather jealous; though neither would admit it.

"Not a talker, eh?" E-43 laughed loudly. "Alright! How about this then?!" As she spoke those words the test subject blasted a beam of ice towards Iryna. However Iryna dodged at the last second with ease causing the blast to hit the wall behind her. With speeds faster than Usain Bolt Iryna ran towards the test subject, who responded by making icicles and throwing them towards the Russian. Iryna dodged each and every one of the projectiles with ease, making her way closer to the test subject. Even in her enraged state E-43 knew Iryna was getting too close for comfort, and decided to createdan ice wall to block her way. But those dreams were soon dashed as Iryna rammed herself into the wall shoulder first, shattering it to pieces as the test subject looked on in shock. Without knowing what happened next Iryna had her hands around the tests subject's, and with a decisive twist snapped her neck like a twig. E-43's head made a complete 180 as she fell to the ground lifeless.

Penelope was left stunned as what happened while Phantom just laughed and applauded.

"Well done my dear, well done!" Phantom bellowed with a laugh as Iryna dragged the lifeless corpse in one arm towards the security guards. "That girl never fails to impress me!"

"So, my dear?" Hiram asked Penelope. "What do you think?"

"That was incredible..." Penelope simply said. She was still in shock as to what she saw. Those people... All the people in these cells.. They could change the world as she knew it.

"You now see why I never told you about this." Hiram asked his wife. "Such a big operation demands that the least amount of people know what's happening."

"I do." Penelope answered. "But the people at Riverdale.."

"They are not part of this operation." Hiram told her. "All test subjects are accounted for. There is no possible way we gave those people their powers."

"So there are other metahumans besides the ones in CADMUS?" Amanda asked, curious about this update.

"Indeed there are, and as new director of CADMUS I was hoping you would be willing to help us. We can't have these people bringing light to the existence of metahumans. They might jeopardize our plans."

"And what plans would those be?" Penelope asked.

"I was planning on selling these metahumans across the world." Hiram smirked. "People would pay a fortune to get their hands on one of our test subjects, and that's exactly what I plan to make them pay. Of course we'll keep the best meta humans to ourselves." Hiram chuckled.

"But what if they go rogue? Or rebel?" Penelope asked.

"Not a chance." Phantom mentionned. "Each one of these guys is fit with a deadlock collar that have two functions: either zap their brains inside-out in case they become disobediant, or blow their noggin's off if they try to start something. And tampering with them will just cause them to detonate, so no worries."

"But what about Iryna?" Penelope wondered as Irya entered the room. "Don't you fear she could turn against you?"

"What? My dear, sweet Iryna turning on me?" Phantom asked with a theatrical cry as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Why she would never even dream of doing such a cruel act! We're like family, siblings! And siblings have a bond no one can break!"

Iryna couldn't help but smile as she wrapped one arm around Phantom's waist to return the hug, causing Penelope and Amanda to roll their eyes.

"By the way Amanda, I've been wanting to ask you something." Phantom mentionned. "Well, I say ask but it's more do it or else Iryna will pound your head in, but I want an upgrade for my cane."

"Upgrade?" Amanda asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. See, if we're to go up against these metahumans I wish to be prepared. One of those crystals adorns my cane, so I want it to be able to do something in case I run into them again."

"And what do you want it to do exactly?" Amanda asked once again, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know! Just something that can give me the edge! You're a smart girl, think of something!" Phantom yelled angrily.

"Alright. I'll see what my men can do." Amanda nodded casually as she took Phantom's cane and headed off with him and Iryna. This left Penelope and Hiram alone as the latter turned to his wife.

"My dear.. I know what I have shown you today could have shocked you. To tell you the truth, I didn't want you to be a part of this just ye-"

"I want in." Penelope cut him off, confusing Hiram as he looked at his wife. "I want to be a part of CADMUS. This whole facility can change the world, and I want to be part of that revolution... At the front of it all... I want in... On CADMUS"

A sly smile formed on Hiram's face, as he combed his wife's hair back in a loving act that neither had performed in over 15 years.

"I was hoping you would say that." Hiram smiled.


End file.
